Welcome to Hell
by xMisox
Summary: Drowning sucks. After feeling like my lungs would cave in, the numbness was welcome. A voice spoke to me, but instead of taking me to the after life, it gave me a proposition. I was given a second chance. I never expected my new life to be in the Naruto world. I also never expected to be picked up and thrown into the sun by a crazy blonde lady. What have I gotten myself into?
1. Prologue: Drowning Sucks

**Hey everybody!** **I've always wanted to do an SI kinda story so here it is! It's not really a self-insert, more like an OC-insert. Is that the same thing? Whatever it's called, I'd like to present to you the prologue of Welcome to Hell! Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

I've heard before that drowning is a peaceful way to die.

Whoever said that is a filthy liar!

It was too late when I realized I was too far under to make it back to the surface before I needed to breathe. My heart rate sped up and I struggled to keep myself from inhaling. I hurriedly clamped my hand over my nose and mouth in a pitiful attempt not to suck in any water. My lungs were practically screaming for oxygen as I frantically swam towards the surface. I wasn't even halfway there when my body decided it couldn't wait any longer.

I don't know why I expected to be able to breathe when I opened my mouth. Instead of the hot, humid air I'd been breathing all day, I got a mouthful of salty, green water. I choked and tried to cover my mouth again only to sharply inhale through my nose. I was way too desperate for oxygen to stop myself.

My whole chest hurt, making the pain worse as more and more water was taken into my body. The salt water burned my eyes and left a bad taste in my mouth. Honestly, the last thing I should be worried about is how the water tastes.

Panicking more than ever, I start to kick and thrash around wildly. All that adrenaline pumping through my body was hindering my ability to think clearly. If I could have conserved my energy, maybe I could have actually reached the surface. Instead, my hysterical thrashing tired out my muscles and I began to slow down.

My muscles ached and they felt too heavy to move. My energy was rapidly depleting, it was all I could do just to keep my eyes open. I could feel my heart slamming against my rib cage. It was like it was trying to break through the bone and escape out of my body. The pain in my chest was far worse than it had been and my whole body lurched. It seemed like my lungs were beginning to cave in on themselves.

It felt like there was a snake wrapped around my torso. Slowly suffocating me. The more I struggled the tighter it got. It was like one of those nature documentaries you watch at two in the morning when you can't sleep. You don't think too much about it when you see a snake catch a mouse and squeeze the life out of it. It's just a part of nature. Death is a part of nature.

The water is the snake and I'm it's prey. I'm helpless to do anything while it slowly strangles me and crushes my lungs. Once I'm gone, the vast ocean will swallow me up and shit me out on a beach somewhere. How's that for a nature documentary?

The immense pain in body begins to subside. The water, warmed by the hot sun, starts to turn cold. I slowly become numb. Starting at my fingers and going up my arms. The same happens to my legs and the rest of my body. My eye lids grew heavy but I struggled to keep them open. Then just like that, all the pain had disappeared.

I felt comfortably cold as I floated through the water. A school of fish swam by my head, unafraid. I was becoming a part of the sea itself. No longer a predator or prey. The ocean could do with me what it pleased. I was nothing more than a lifeless corpse suspended in the green water.

The world around me grew dark.

I wonder if the sun set?

Have my friends noticed that I haven't resurfaced yet? Did they even hear my frantic splashing over the blasting stereo?

Whatever the case may be, it was too late to save me.

Why haven't I moved on yet? Aren't you supposed to see a bright light or get transported to the gates of heaven? Shouldn't I at least be sitting on a bench at the bus stop to hell? It doesn't make much sense for me to still be floating aimlessly in the dark sea.

Maybe I'm in a limbo. If this is what limbo is like then I'll go insane before the decade is over.

An echoing voice pierced the painful silence. "How unfortunate,"

_What? Who's there?_

"Death isn't very fortunate in itself. Let alone taking a life it has no right to claim."

_Yeah, I completely agree that death sucks. I'm talking to you, but my mouth isn't moving. Is this telepathy? Who are you? Where are you? Why can't I see you?_

"So many questions without answers," the voice drawled. "I'll only answer one. Choose wisely."

I thought about asking if this was limbo. It'd be pretty stupid if it was and I used my only question on something like that. It didn't matter where the voice was coming from or why I couldn't see them. That left me with one option.

_Who are you?_

"Who am I?" the voice hummed.

_I literally just asked you that._

"I'm here to guide your spirit after it's abrupt end."

_Are you from the R.I.P.D.? I saw that movie, and I promise I'm not trying to escape judgement. I just don't know how to get out of this damn water. I guess that's why you're here. Alright, take me to heaven._

"I'm not here to take you to heaven."

_Am I going to hell?_

"That's not for me to decide," the voice explained. "Due to your unexpected death, an abnormality has occurred."

_An abnormality? I drowned. How is that abnormal?_

"A person from another world had a correspondent death to yours."

_Are you saying that someone else drowned at the same time?_

"Precisely," the voice continued. "This uncanny event has given you an opportunity. One that would have not been available to you if your deaths had not been in sync."

Suddenly, the body of a small child materialized in front of me. His black hair twisted and waved from the rippling of the water. His lightly tanned skin shriveled and softened.

I reached out to touch his round face with my own pruned fingers. If I could still feel my heart, I'm sure it would have ached. It was a shame for someone so young to die in such an awful way. I know firsthand that drowning was a bitch.

I caressed the boy's cheek as we floated in the vast ocean together.

"Because of your accidental passing, you will be permitted to take the child's life."

_For someone who's supposed to explain things to me in a way I can understand, you're doing a shitty job._

"Allow me to elaborate," the voice echoed around me. "Your spirit will enter the child's body and you may live on."

_So we're swapping bodies? Will the kid's spirit go in my body then?_

"No, sadly it was time for the child to depart from this world. You, however, have a chance."

It saddened me that the little boy in front of me was truly gone. It didn't seem right to take his body and live with his identity.

"This type of scenario does not happen often," the voice drawled. "You are being offered a second life. Most mortals only get one. Don't dismiss this opportunity just because you're filled with sorrow for the child."

I didn't like the idea of stealing the kid's life, but I was being offered a second chance. The weird voice even said that this rarely happened. It also said that the child was from another world. I have to know what it's like. My curiosity always gets the best of me.

_I want to do this. I want a second life._

"Very well, your spirit will be transferred into the child."

My mouth opened and thick white smoke began to pour out. The small boy's mouth mirrored mine, except the smoke was going into him. It was relatively painless but it made my body feel as heavy as stone. My tired eyes slid closed when the last stream of smoke left my mouth.

When I opened my eyes, I was looking at myself. Well, I was looking at my _old_ body. I stared at the teenage body in awe. It was like looking in a mirror, only I wasn't the person in front of me. Not any longer.

"Soul transfer complete. Good luck with your new life."

_Wait! What am I supposed to do now?!_

"Anything you wish. You may live any way you choose." the voice sounded like it was getting farther away. "Stay away from the water..."

My vision went black.

The tight feeling in my chest returns and I choked on the salty water filling my mouth. I clamped my mouth shut and fought against the current tossing me from left to right.

I'm drowning! _Again!_ That bastard didn't tell me I'd pick up where the kid left off! I want a refund!

Something sharp digs into my ankle, piercing the skin and turning the water around me red. I open my mouth to shout, causing water to rush in and gag me. I feel myself being pulled upwards by a mysterious force. The pain in my ankle intensifies and I struggle to keep from screaming so I don't get another mouthful of water.

When I felt like my lungs were going to explode, I bursted from the surface of the water. I gasped for air, coughing and spitting out liquid that came back up my throat. Water droplets rolled down my face and stung my eyes. My clothes clung tightly to my body and I shivered.

My teeth chattered and another shudder forced it's way through my body. It was unbelievably cold. What happened to the summer? Right, this was a different world. Maybe the seasons were different.

It was then I realized that I was upside down, suspended in the air. What I now figured out was a hook, dug deeper into my skin and the wire it was attached to tightened. My arms hung limply over my head as I was reeled up the side of a large boat.

The look on the man's face when I reached the top was priceless. It was somewhere between a mixture of surprise and horror.

Still held out away from the boat by a fishing pole, I offered him a weak smile. It may have looked like a frown to him since I was upside down.

My whole body felt drained and I sighed heavily. I closed my eyes and felt the jerking of the pole as the fisherman tried to ease me over the side of the boat. I was too tired to even care that he banged my head against the railing.

Drowning sucks.

* * *

**That's it for the prologue! I hope you enjoyed it! In case you were confused about the whole conversation with the "voice" the _italics_ were our main character "speaking." He wasn't really speaking, he was just thinking those things. Mentally conversing with the voice. Telepathy. I promise that will never happen again. **

**This was my first time ever writing something in 1st person. I think I did decent. The more I practice the more I'll improve. **

**In the next chapter we'll get to see our nameless hero interact with people. **

**Until next time! **


	2. Raccoon Fight

**Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 1 of WtH! We got snowed in so I had the whole day to write this. I needed to do something with my time so I figured I should go ahead and give you guys the first chapter. **

**In this chapter our nameless hero encounters some canon characters! Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto~**

* * *

I'm honestly beginning to wonder if I made the right choice. A second life sounded cool at the time, but this is just depressing.

After that random guy fished me out of the ocean, he hurried me back to the main land. A few people were nice. They gave me towels and scraps from their lunches. Others weren't so nice and literally told me I should have drowned. I stuck around for a few days just so I could gain information on who I was supposed to be.

Turns out that the kid I swapped bodies with is homeless. His, or my, parents worked for a small fishing company and their boat sank or disappeared or whatever. Each person I asked had a different story to tell. The kid didn't even have a name. I mean, I didn't have a name. This is going to take some getting use to. Everyone called me either "kid" or "boy," like I was a dog or something.

Apparently the kid just hung around with the men at the fishery and ran some errands for them. Sometimes they took him out on the boat with them. It makes me wonder if that's how the kid drowned in the first place. Did he go out on the boat and just fall in? Or did someone push him into the water? That's a mystery I'm not going to stick around to solve.

One day, one of the nicer men asked if I wanted to go out on his boat with him. My brain literally shut down. My whole body froze and I couldn't respond. I couldn't even form coherent sentences.

The thought of even going near a puddle scared the shit out of me. There was no way I was going to get anywhere near the ocean. No one was ever going to make me get in water ever again. Never again. Nope. Not happening.

My favorite fisherman who worked there thought it would be a good idea to spray me with a hose. Drench a small child with freezing water while it's like thirty degrees outside? Sounds like a good idea to me.

As soon as the water hit my back, I went running down the street screaming. That's how I left the fishery. I may have developed a slight case of hydrophobia. Can you blame me? I drowned twice! Any sane person would be afraid of water after an experience like that.

This universe is a lot different than my old one. There are no cars and I've yet to see anyone walk around with a cell phone. All the houses and buildings are made of wood. Which was weird to me since I grew up the first time around mostly brick buildings.

People dressed differently as well. Most people I saw in town wore sandals and apparently headbands are common here. I never saw anyone just casually wear a headband unless they were going to do some kind of physical activity.

I have no right to be the fashion police. I look like I crawled out of a meat grinder. My clothes were shredded and stained with mud and other questionable substances. I didn't even have any shoes. I would have gladly taken a pair of those strange sandals.

My ankle hadn't healed from where the fishing hook had sank into it. The kind fisherman had given me bandages but they had gotten tattered and dirty, so I ripped them off. The gash still bled occasionally and it deeply worried me that I was going to get an infection.

I didn't have any money. I couldn't afford to rent a room at a hotel or anything like that. I mostly slept in alleys and once I managed to squeeze into someone's dog house. Fortunately for me, the dog was very happy to have company. For once I wasn't freezing to death all night long. I had a big, fluffy, breathing blanket right on top of me.

I would have continued to sleep there, but the dog's owner found me the next morning. He threatened to call social services, or something like that, to come get me if I didn't go home. I considered asking him to do that, but decided against it. There's probably a reason the kid hadn't done that already. He wanted to live by himself so I'll continue to live that way in his honor.

Finding food was a difficult task. There's actually a really nice food market in the town. I use to go there and stand really close to the shopping women. I'd take a few pieces of fruit or whatever else I could get my hands on and run off. The merchant would just assume I was the lady's kid and bill her for it.

That worked for awhile, but then the merchants started to catch on to my little scheme. I tried lurking in the shadows and stealing the food silently like some kind of ninja. That didn't work. I'm probably the least stealthy person in the world. I'm way too loud and clumsy for that.

If I do manage to get close enough to steal some food, I can't get away fast enough. Thanks to my ankle wound, I have a slight limp. I always get caught one way or the other. I just stopped trying with the market.

This kid had such a shitty life. I kind of feel bad for him. Is that the same thing as feeling bad for myself? Because technically, I am him. Or at least I'm in his body. I should never try to explain my version of reincarnation to people. They'd think I was doing weird things with children.

Those are the kind of thoughts I had while digging through the trash.

I sighed heavily and pressed my shoulder against the metal can. Using all the strength I could muster, I managed to tip it over. The trashcan hit the ground with a loud clang and the lid went flying down the alley.

I moved around to the front of the can and crouched at the opening. I rummaged through the assorted take-out boxes and banana peels, hoping to find something edible. There was a hissing sound that made me stop in my tracks. I listened carefully, trying to pin point were the sound was coming from.

Not seeing it as threat, I shrugged and kept digging. The further into the can I got, the louder the hissing became. When I tossed another empty box aside, a fuzzy head poked out of the rubbish. The animal raised it's body out of the trash and shook out its fur.

I froze, too afraid that if I moved it would rip my face off. I locked eyes with the raccoon in a silent battle for claim on this trashcan. My gaze flickered to the bread gripped in its tiny paws then back to its face. The molding bread had a few bites taken out of it but I could just eat around it.

Did I really want to fight with a possibly rabid raccoon over a piece of stale bread?

My stomach gurgled loudly. I guess that answers that.

I quickly snatched the bread from the animal's paws and pulled away from the trashcan. The raccoon screeched in rage and launched itself out of the can. Before I could even get to my feet, the angry beast was on me.

The raccoon knocked me on to my back, forcing the air out of my lungs. It sat on my chest and scratched fiercely at my arms. Still clenching the bread in my fist, I flung my arms in front of my face to protect myself. The raccoon let out another war cry as it clawed my face and neck.

I guess it got tired of my shit, because it reached forward and bit the hand I held the bread in. I yelped in pain and released the bread. The raccoon snatched it and leaped off of me. Now that the heavy weight was off my chest it was easier to breath.

I sat up, examining the bite marks on my hand. I could feel blood dripping down my face and neck. The wounds burned like fire and I hissed between clenched teeth. The sound of chattering behind me made me turn around.

The raccoon looked at me with taunting eyes, holding the bread in a gloating fashion. That bastard was laughing at me! It let out another loud chatter before putting the bread in its mouth, turning, and running out of the alley.

"Hey!" I shouted. My voice was hoarse from lack of use and dehydration. "Get back here with my bread!" I pushed myself to my feet and went sprinting after the animal.

It wasn't really a sprint. More like a fast hobble. My damn ankle makes it impossible to run.

That damn raccoon was going slow on purpose. If it really wanted to, it could lose me in a second. Instead it would stop and watch me while I stumbled over my own feet. The fuzzy brute made more chattering noises while it waited for me to catch up.

_Screw the bread! I'm gonna have raccoon for lunch!_

Ignoring the sharp pain that shot up my leg, I sped up into a run. My ankle screamed in protest as I put more pressure on it. I ran as fast as I could after that damn raccoon.

After a minute my leg gave out on me and I fell face first towards the ground. I used my arms to protect my head, scraping my elbows in the process. I panted heavily, pressing my forehead into the cold ground. My leg throbbed in agony and my cuts burned from the dirt I got in them.

The raccoon chattered as it walked away, calling out a few last taunts as it disappeared around the corner. I shakily tried to push myself up. My body protested and forced me back to the ground. Wheezing from the effort, I managed to get up.

Hot tears stung my eyes and I bit my chapped lip. My jagged breathing came out in white clouds in front of my face. I sniffed loudly and fought back the tears that threatened to spill over.

I didn't sign up for this.

That voice never told me that my new life would be hell.

I was ready to have a break down right in the middle of the street. I didn't care if anyone was watching. I was alive but at this point I think I'd rather be dead. I was freezing to death. I was starving. I probably contracted rabies from that damn raccoon. I should have said no to that satanic voice and-

That's when something caught my eye. Something that would change my whole perspective on this world.

I saw a blonde woman sitting with three other men at a picnic table a couple yards away. She looks familiar. I swear I've seen her somewhere before. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something? She looks just like an ordinary woman to me. Nothing significant about her. Her hair was pulled back into two loose ponytails and she had a violet rhombus on her forehead-

Oh.

_Oh._

_That's Tsunade. From the Naruto anime. That's actually her._

I got giddy all the sudden and started giggling.

That's Tsunade! This is the Naruto world! I thought that this was just some primitive parallel universe. This is the Naruto Universe! Do other animes have their own universes?

While I was exhilarated by the thought of being in an anime, I almost missed what Tsunade did next.

The Sannin lifted a briefcase from the ground beside her feet and rested it on the table. She swiftly opened the case, revealing stacks of money inside. The men around her smiled and spoke to her. Tsunade smiled back at them, shut the briefcase, and set it back on the ground.

At this point I only had two thoughts:

1\. I can't believe this is happening.

2\. I could buy the whole food market with that much money.

Did I really want to steal money from the Hokage? Is she even the Hokage yet? I don't even know what part of the timeline I'm in. I'm pretty sure this isn't Konoha though.

From my limited knowledge from the anime, I remembered that Tsunade gambled a lot. Maybe that's what she was doing. Did I really want to steal money from a gambling addict with monstrous strength?

My stomach howled and I clenched it with my hand. I guess that answers that.

I quickly wiped away a few tears that escaped from earlier, most likely smearing blood on my face in the process. As quietly as possible, I scurried towards Tsunade and the three men. I tried to stick to the shadows and be as stealthy as someone with a limp could be.

There were other people sitting at tables around them, so my chances of sneaking in without being seen are slim.

I took a deep breath, summoning all of my courage for this. I cautiously crept towards the medical-nin. As I neared the briefcase my heart started beating faster. My mouth felt dry and I quietly smacked my lips together. When I got closer, I reached out with a shaking, clammy hand to grasp the handle.

_Almost there..._

I felt my fingers brush against the leather.

_I've got it!_

_**CRACK**_

My mouth gaped open in a silent scream. My eyes widened at the shock of how fast she moved. My gaze started at the hand wrapped around my wrist, traveled up the arm, and stopped at the woman's face. Tsunade stared back at me with narrowed eyes.

"What do you think you're doing, brat?" the grip on my wrist tightened and I cried out from the immense pain. She lifted me off the ground and brought my face to level with hers. We were so close I could feel her hot breath on my face. "Do you know what happens to thieves like you?"

I was unable to hide my terror. My lip quivered and I could feel new tears forming in my eyes. My whole body was shaking and the pain in my wrist was almost unbearable. From the sound it made earlier, she may have snapped the bone in half.

She was looking at me like she was expecting an answer. I wanted to defend myself or explain to her that I wasn't trying to steal her money. That would be a lie but it might save me from her wrath. I tried to speak but all that came out was a choking sound. I was too afraid to even speak.

"Do you?!" she demanded again, droplets of her spit spraying into my face.

I winced and shook my head rapidly.

"They get thrown into the sun!"

Tsunade rose from the table, twirled me over her head, and sent me flying all in one motion. The cold wind slapped me in the face and the sun temporarily blinded me. I couldn't move a muscle. I wasn't even able to scream. I've never been picked up and thrown before. Anyone would be scared shitless. Being paralyzed with fear is a normal response.

When I reached as far in the air as gravity would allow, my body turned, and I began hurtling back towards the earth.

This is it. I drowned. Took over an orphan's body. Almost drowned again. Lived a pitiful second life. Now I'm about to die again. I wish I could say I've had a good run, but I haven't. Maybe when I die this time I'll end up in the Fairy Tail world or something. Then Erza can throw me into the sun and the process can be repeated.

As I neared the ground, I saw a blur out of the corner of my eye. A figure leaped from the roof of a building and collided into my body. The air got knocked out of me and my face got buried in fabric. When I could breath again, I noticed that the fabric smelled a little like vanilla. I liked it. I inhaled so deeply it made me dizzy.

My body got jarred when we hit the ground. Whoever had caught me started running to even out the momentum. The person somehow kept from falling and slowed to a stop. My body was shifted and my head rested on my savior's shoulder.

My vision was blurred, but I was able to make out that it was a woman. Her face was brought closer to mine as she examined me. Her black hair tickled my face and her dark eyes were full of concern. Once she was satisfied that I was breathing, she pulled back.

She looks familiar. Have I seen her before?

"Tch. Shizune, why did you bother catching that brat?" that explains everything.

"Tsunade, you can't just go around throwing kids into the air!" Shizune scowled at the approaching blonde. "If I hadn't been close by to catch him, he would have died! Then you'd have to deal with law suits for killing him!"

Tsunade snorted, "I don't think I'd have to worry about that. Look at him," she waved her hand at me. "The brat looks like he crawled out of the trash."

Tsunade has no idea how right she is.

"That's not the point," Shizune gritted her teeth together.

"He tried to steal my money, Shizune!" Tsunade glared at her. "If he had made off with it, I would have had nothing to pay those guys back with!"

"So you paid off your debt?"

"Well... Not exactly,"

"Tsunade!" Shizune groaned.

"Relax! I took out a few more loans, I'll win twice as much from the slots, then we'll pay them back with tons of money to spare!" Tsunade had way too much confidence for an awful gambler.

"Fine," Shizune sighed. "But we're using some of the money to fix him up. You at least owe him that for almost killing him."

"Are you sure he's still alive?"

Shizune immediately looked down at me after Tsunade's words. I was drooling all over her shoulder. My saliva soaked into the fabric and I was unable to stop myself. I felt so light headed and my vision got progressively worse.

"Hey, try to stay awake," she gave me a gentle shake.

I knew I couldn't oblige to that request. I had been on the verge of passing out during the whole ordeal. She's lucky I made it this long.

I wanted to thank her before I fainted. She needed to know how grateful I was that my brains weren't splattered all over the street. I opened my mouth to speak but it was harder than I thought to get the words out. The scent of vanilla wafted around my nose as I slipped into unconsciousness.

"You... Smell good..."

I blacked out.

* * *

**That's the end of Chapter 1! I hope you guys enjoyed it! **

**We all learned something about our nameless hero today. He has hydrophobia, gets his ass handed to him by raccoons, and likes the smell of vanilla. Now that he knows that he's in the Naruto world, maybe he'll figure his life out. Maybe he'll actually get a name in the next chapter. Who knows. **

**I'd love to know what you guys think about the story and any suggestions you may have. I'm not sure if I want to continue this or not and it would help if I knew what you guys think. **

**Until next time! **


	3. I Hope That Was Pork

**Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 2 of WtH! I wrote a little bit of this chapter late last night then finished it up today. This was a LONG chapter (for me at least.) Believe it or not, it was originally longer but I cut some stuff out. I had to end it somewhere. **

**In this chapter our nameless hero interacts with people and actually gets a name. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto~**

* * *

Something was tickling my face. It was hot and smelled vaguely like tooth decay. I whimpered and turned my head away from the strange heat. Just when I started to drift off again, something warm and wet traveled up the whole right side of my face.

My eyes shot open as the liquid rolled down my cheek. I hastily pushed myself into a sitting position, completely grossed out by the wet sensation. A sharp pain coursed through my skull causing me to wince. While clutching the sides of my head with both hands, I buried my face into my knees.

My whole head was throbbing. I felt like I got hit by a train. A moan escaped my mouth and I shut my eyes tightly. I felt something brush against my side. I ignored it, still trying to ease the pain in my aching skull.

Whatever it was nudged me harder this time. I reluctantly peeked out from where I still had my face in my knees. My vision was a little blurry, but it looked like some kind of animal. Puzzled, I lifted my head and stared at the creature beside me.

It was a pig.

"Oink!" the pig cried cheerfully when I finally looked at it.

_What the hell?_

I wiped the slobber still dripping down my face with the neck of my shirt. The pig moved closer, tugging on the blanket that had slipped off my legs. Still holding the fabric in its mouth, the animal hopped on to my lap and covered my legs.

Once it was satisfied with its work, it sat down on my lap and looked up at me. I blinked a few times, just to make sure I wasn't suffering from head trauma and I wasn't imagining a pig sitting on me.

The pig was still there. Watching me with its thoughtful gaze.

I pinched my arm just for good measure. The pig hadn't moved so I guess I'm not crazy after all. The animal let out another cheery noise and its curly tail swished.

I slowly raised my hand towards its head. I didn't want to scare it or suffer another incident like what happened with the raccoon. The pig met me halfway and rested the top of its head in my palm. I smiled and stroked the top of its head.

Now that my vision had cleared up, I could get a better look at this thing. The pig wore a dark red jacket and a pearl collar.

_Dear god, it dresses better than I do._

"I'm glad that you're finally awake,"

I jumped and almost crushed the pig against my chest. The pig protested, but I held on tightly. Still trying to calm down my frantically beating heart. I stared wide eyed at the woman in the room. When did she get there? She literally scared the shit out of me!

"Sorry," Shizune apologized gently. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I let out the breath I wasn't aware that I was holding. I loosened my grip on the animal, much to the pig's delight. I finally took the time to check out my surroundings.

We were in a small room and I was sitting on the floor. There was another set of blankets set out a good distance from the ones I currently occupied. The world outside was dark and moonlight shone through the windows on the opposite side of the room. There were two doors. I assumed one led to a bathroom and the other one outside. We were probably in a hotel.

"Tonton, I told you to let him rest," Shizune sighed, making me bring my attention back to her.

"Buhi!" the pig replied, turning its head towards the woman.

That's right! Tsunade had a pet pig! It all makes sense now.

"I know that you wanted to meet him-"

"Buhi buhi!" Tonton cut her off, wiggling her nose sassily.

I don't know if it was that Shizune was having a conversation with a pig or that Tonton was a complete diva. I couldn't stop myself from giggling. Tonton's ears perked up and Shizune smiled in relief.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Shizune gave me another warm smile. "I put medicine on your wounds and bandaged them for you."

I looked down, and sure enough, my arms were bandaged. Even where the raccoon had bit me was covered up. I touched my face, feeling my fingers brush against the gauze taped to it. I was pleasantly surprised.

Sure, Shizune is a medical ninja, but I can't believe she went through the trouble to heal me. I mean, she doesn't even know me, yet she still took the time to dress my wounds. I looked back at her kind face and felt tears forming in my eyes. This new body has made me over emotional, but this was the nicest thing anyone has done for me so far.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyebrows pulling together in worry.

I nodded my head repeatedly. Tonton nuzzled my chest and I scratched her behind the ear. I noticed a dull ache in my wrist. I lightly touched it with my other hand. Memories from before I passed out came rushing back.

I had tried to steal Tsunade's money. Then the crazy blonde threw me into outer space. Shizune caught me and I blacked out. Now I'm in some kind of hotel room with a pig on my lap.

Wow, it has been a rough day.

Shizune noticed me examining my wrist. "I apologize for what Tsunade did to you earlier." she added, "I put your wrist back into place for you."

I held the swollen appendage in my other hand, trying to move it. It throbbed in protest and I winced. I couldn't move it very well and it still hurt like a bitch, but at least it wasn't broken.

I realized I still haven't thanked her for helping me. Hell, she pretty much saved my life. If she hadn't caught me before I hit the ground, I would've had to talk to the satanic voice again. Then I really would have had to sit at the bus stop to hell.

I tried to speak, but I ended up coughing instead. I hurriedly covered my mouth so I wouldn't hack all over Tonton.

"I'll get you some water," Shizune rose from where she sat on the floor and walked towards the door I had assumed was a bathroom.

I heard the sound of running water and she returned a moment later with a cup in her hand. Shizune knelt beside me and held the cup to my lips. Still holding my wrist, I accepted the water. My throat was so dry I didn't even care that she was the one holding the cup. I gulped down mouthful after mouthful.

"Hey, slow down," I felt water drip down my chin and soak into my shirt. I blushed at Shizune's warning and drank the rest of the water more carefully.

"We never got acquainted, did we?" Shizune set the cup aside and settled down beside me. "My name is Shizune and this is Tonton." she scratched the pig's head.

I nodded to let her know that I understood. We sat there in silence for a few moments. She looked at me expectantly and I continued to stare at her.

"Are you going to tell me your name?" she pressed.

I would, but the thing is, I don't exactly have one. I couldn't use my name from my other life. It wouldn't be right since this wasn't me. I didn't know what to tell her. I couldn't just keep staring at her like this. She'll think I'm crazy or that I'm just being a jerk.

"Well..." I began, not sure how I should put it. I rubbed the back of my neck with my good hand awkwardly. "I don't... have a name..." I glanced up at her for a reaction.

Shizune pursed her lips. "Where are your parents?"

_My parents..._

I really haven't thought about them much since starting my new life in the Naruto world. I think my mom is what I missed the most. Well, her and being able to reach things on high shelves. It made me sick in my stomach just thinking about how she would have reacted to my "death."

My mom was a saint. She was a single mother, so she pretty much raised me all by herself. I felt so selfish not thinking of her until now. Shizune wasn't asking about my real mother though. She was asking about this kid's parents.

I shrugged. I really didn't know where or who they are. All I heard were stories and I bet most of them weren't true. I tried to look sad so Shizune wouldn't assume I was just being antisocial. The last thing I wanted was for her to kick me out and tell me to go home to my nonexistent family.

Shizune didn't reply right away, but then she asked, "Where have you been sleeping?"

I kept my eyes on Tonton, nervously stroking her back. This could work out really good or really bad for me. "Wherever I can," I answered quietly. "Alleys and stuff..." I mumbled.

Maybe I should tell her about the dog house I slept in. That had been great. Best night's sleep I've had since my reincarnation. I mean, Tonton probably sleeps with her so I bet she could relate. That would make everything better, right? Yeah, probably not.

"You've never considered going to an orphanage?" Shizune frowned, tilting her head in an attempt to see my lowered face.

I looked away from her, refusing to meet her gaze. "I don't want to..."

"Why?"

What was I supposed to tell her? Because the kid who inhabited this body before me didn't go to one so I won't either? She'll think I'm insane. Then she'll probably take me to an orphanage. That's the last thing I want.

Sure, I'd have a place to sleep and food to eat, but that's no life. Who wants to wait around for someone to adopt them. Miracles like that don't happen often. I'd be stuck there for god knows how long. Now that I know this is the Naruto world, my chances of getting adopted are really low. Orphans in Naruto never get adopted.

I could feel her eyes staring straight into my soul. I fidgeted uncomfortably, "'Cause it's scary..." There we go! Play with her emotions and I might just make it out of this! "Kids go in... and they never come out..." I made it sound like a horror film. I need to get it back on track. "Grown ups don't like kids..." Come on, really sell it! "And they're mean..."

"I'm not mean, am I?" Shizune asked, gently grabbing my chin and turning my face towards her.

"No, but the blonde lady is..." I grumbled, blushing slightly at the contact.

Shizune chuckled, "Tsunade can be a little much."

The door swung open and banged against the wall loudly. I jumped, a startled squeak escaping my mouth. Tonton oinked in protest when I got her into another killing squeeze. Tsunade strode in with a bag in one hand and a case of bottles in the other. She staggered when she walked and her face was flushed.

"Where have you been?" Shizune asked, eyeing the case of bottles. "You went to get food almost three hours ago."

Tsunade kicked the door shut behind her and tossed Shizune the bag. "I'm back and I brought you and the thief food, so don't worry about it."

She stomped past us and sat on the other blankets that were set up. This must be a poor motel if the guests had to sleep on the floor. The blonde pulled a bottle out of the case and took a swig from it. I'm no expert on intoxication, but she looked drunk to me.

"I asked you to buy something at least moderately healthy," Shizune pulled two small boxes out of the bag. "Instead you bought take-out," Tsunade grunted. "He needs something besides fried food to get his strength back."

"Then he doesn't have to eat it!" Tsunade snapped irritably. "If you're so concerned about the brat's diet, then you go out and get him something."

My stomach roared loudly from excitement. I was salivating all over myself. I held my arms out towards the take-out box and made quick grabbing motions with my hands. Real take-out! Not take-out that's already been picked over and thrown away. It was fresh, untouched food! And it was for me!

Shizune held the box just out of my reach, watching me with one eyebrow raised. She sighed, but I swore I saw the faintest of smiles, and handed me the box. She offered me a pair of chopsticks which I gladly accepted.

Here comes the tricky part. I've never used chopsticks before. I tried in my past life, failed, and never picked them up again. How the hell are you supposed to eat with those things?

I ran into another problem. I was right handed. Thanks to Tsunade mangling my wrist, it was hard to move my hand. I had to use my left hand by default. If using chopsticks wasn't already bad enough, I had to eat with my left hand too.

I tried to copy Shizune to the best of my ability. She made it look so easy. She plucked the rice and meat out of the box, and just as easily popped it into her mouth. Tonton had hopped off my lap and gone to beg Shizune for some scraps. When Shizune denied her, the pig turned back to me, hopefully wagging her tail.

I just sat there and fumbled around with the chopsticks awkwardly. Every time I tried to pick something up, it'd slip out of my grip. After failing to pick up a piece of meat several times, I finally got it. I slowly and carefully lifted it out of the box. The meat slipped and tumbled to the floor.

Tonton licked her lips upon seeing her opportunity. Before I had a chance to pick up the meat, she scooped it up in her mouth. I watched in horror as she happily chewed on the meat.

That fat bastard ate my food! I hope that was pork. Serves her right for stealing my dinner. Tonton looked up at me with a joyful "buhi," swishing her tail a little faster.

_Thanks a lot, Tonton, you dick!_

Out of rage, frustration, and despair, I snapped the chopsticks in half. I threw the sticks on the floor and shoved my hand into the box. I stuffed my face with whatever I pulled out, not even bothering to look. Shizune paused from eating to look at me. She chuckled quietly and shook her head before going back to her own food.

I gave Tonton the death glare while I ate. The pig acted like she didn't just eat the one thing I was living for. I shoveled in more rice, Tonton continuing to watch my every move.

By the time I was finished, I was covered in whatever sauce the meat had on it. Tonton pretended to be helpful and licked the juices off my hands. She can't fool me. I know exactly what she's trying to pull.

I'm not mad at her anymore though. My stomach is pleasantly full for the first time in my new life. I might have been a little too full and my eyelids felt heavy, but I was happy. I allowed Tonton to lick me clean. At least, I would have if Shizune hadn't interrupted.

"Here," she held a napkin out to me.

I took it, wiping the sauce and pig spit off my hands. I briskly wiped my mouth and discarded the napkin in the bag our food had come in. I guess I had missed some since Shizune took it upon herself to clean my face.

"H-hey!" I protested, attempting to push her hand away.

She firmly held my face still with her other hand. "Just hold still,"

The dried sauce wasn't coming off. She dabbed the napkin on her tongue and brought it back to my face.

"Gross!" I recoiled away from the damp napkin but she continued anyway.

I saw the corner of her mouth twitch into a smile. I blushed from the embarrassment and made some over dramatic gagging noises. It was no different than Tonton licking me. It was probably better. I bet Shizune brushed her teeth, unlike that greedy pig. Thinking like this eased some of my anxiety.

"There," with one final dab she released me. "You're clean."

I hurriedly wiped the moisture off my face with my shirt. She laughed and went to throw away our trash. I glanced over at the blonde woman chugging down whatever was in those bottles. I had forgotten she was there. Maybe a drunk Tsunade is better than a sober Tsunade.

"Oi, kid," Tsunade caught me staring at her. "Did I break your wrist?"

"Um... No?" I frowned, not expecting that kind of question.

"That's too bad," she took another swig from the bottle.

"Tsunade," Shizune warned, sitting back down beside me.

"What? I'm just joking," the blonde slurred. "What's your name, brat?"

Man, she was really drunk. There were bottles scattered all around her and she only had two more left. I wonder if this is just a usual thing for her. Shizune doesn't seem surprised by it.

"He doesn't have a name," Shizune answered, noticing my reluctance to talk to the drunk blonde.

"As much as I like calling him brat," Tsunade tossed the empty bottle aside and grabbed a new one. "He needs to have a real name."

"I suppose if we're going to keep him, he should have a name." Shizune replied.

_Keep me?_

"Hey now, I didn't say anything about keeping him." Tsunade interjected. "We already have one pet, we don't need another." I could smell the alcohol on her breath from all the way over here.

I scowled at the drunk blonde in annoyance. I'm not anybody's pet!

"I'm not going to just throw him back out on the street." Shizune argued.

"Fine, fine," Tsunade huffed, downing the rest of the liquid in the bottle. "Tonton's my pet and the brat can be yours."

On second thought, being Shizune's pet wouldn't be so bad.

Shizune sighed, "Alright, I guess-" Tsunade didn't even let her finish.

"On one condition!" the blonde held up two fingers. She is so wasted. "I get to choose his name."

_God have mercy on my soul._

Shizune glanced at my panicked expression. "Tsunade, you're too drunk to even stand up, let alone name someone."

Tsunade flipped her off, I laughed, and Shizune sighed. The blonde wasn't as bad as I originally thought. She's a little... forceful but also kinda fun. Poor Shizune probably has to put up with a lot of shit.

"Let's see," Tsunade put her hand to her chin and closed her eyes thoughtfully. "How about Roku?"

"Roku?" I repeated, getting a feel for the name. I liked it.

"Yeah, I worked with a guy during the war named Roku." the blonde emptied her last bottle into her mouth. "He drowned,"

_Oh, the irony..._

"Do you like it?" Shizune asked and I nodded. "We'll call you Roku then."

"Yay, great, now everybody's happy," Tsunade grunted and wiped the bottles off her blanket. "Now turn off the lights." she slipped under her blankets and turned her back to us. "It's too damn bright in here."

Shizune grumbled something that I didn't quite catch and flipped off the lights. Then I realized that I was on her "bed." I started to get up but then she stopped me.

"You don't have to move,"

"But..." I blinked, letting my eyes get adjusted to the darkness. "I'm in your bed..."

"That's alright," she smiled. "I'll just lie down with you, if you don't mind."

I quickly nodded and scooted over. She kept a respectable amount of space between us once she slipped under the blanket. Tonton plopped down between us and fell asleep immediately. I wrapped my arm around the pig and pulled her closer to me.

I listened to Shizune's breathing until it became slow and even. I relaxed a little now that she was asleep and let my mind wander.

I still didn't know what part of the timeline I'm in. It's probably some time before or during the Chunin Exams. Tsunade didn't appear to be the Hokage and Jiraiya hasn't come looking for her yet.

Now that I've met Shizune and Tsunade, what should I do? Should I try to change the Naruto world? What could I possibly do to make it better?

Maybe if I told Tsunade that she needed to go back to Konoha, we could make it in time to stop Orochimaru. No, I doubt that would work. I have no way of knowing if the Third Hokage has already been killed or not. Besides, Tsunade would rather throw me than listen to me.

I was starting to struggle to keep my eyes open.

I don't have to think about any of that just yet. When the time comes, I'll decide if I want to change the world or if I want to let it run its course.

I yawned and snuggled into the sleeping pig's back. I sighed in content and let Tonton's breathing lull me to sleep.

* * *

**That's the end of Chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**I think Tonton is my favorite character. Shizune and Tsunade are fun too. Does anyone else accidentally type "shit" instead of "shirt?" When I was going through correcting everything I had to fix that. I always do that. It's like my brain says, "fuck the r," and types "shit" instead. Is that just me? Alright, then. **

**Our hero has a name! Yes, he is Roku! Roku ponders about what he should do in the Narutoverse. Will he change the world and save lives? Probably not. He's not exactly "save the world" material. **

**Thanks for all the support! Let me know what you guys think and any suggestions you may have!**

**Until next time! **


	4. Tsunade's Hole

**Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 3 of WtH! I've been looking forward to this chapter. When I first decided that Roku was going to have hydrophobia, this idea popped into my head. Things are going pretty good for our hero so far, right? It might be too earlier to tell if being with Tsunade and Shizune is a good thing or not. **

**In this chapter, our now named hero, has a rough time. But when does he ever have an easy time? Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto~**

* * *

I slowly inched towards my target. I made no sound. I was stealthy and silent like a ninja should be.

Okay, maybe not.

Shizune glanced at me out of the corner of her eye but returned to her book a moment later. I scuffled closer to her. I pushed myself up and peeked over the top of the book. I still couldn't see the writing.

Damn, I'm too short.

Shizune watched in amusement as I stood on my toes and tilted the book back.

_What sorcery is this?!_

I stared in confusion at the strange markings on the page. Shouldn't there be words or something? Wait, it might be Japanese... Why can't I read it? Maybe it's because it's upside down? Yeah, that's it. Shizune allowed me to take the book from her and turn it around.

Nope, still makes no sense.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I sat down with the book in my lap and flipped through the pages. Everything looked the same. Just more weird symbols after symbols. I brought the book closer to my face, hoping that my vision was just playing tricks on me. No such luck.

This didn't make much sense. I could speak and understand what people were saying to me, but I couldn't read Japanese. How does that even work?

It's possible that when I took over the kid's body that our brains got mixed together. I got to keep all my memories but didn't get any of his. Which is why I didn't know what happened to his parents or know anyone at the fishery. I did get something from the kid other than his body.

I got his ability to speak Japanese. Apparently this kid didn't know how to read so now I can't either. Couldn't this kid do anything besides fish? How was I supposed to do anything if I couldn't read? What if I got lost and needed to read a map? I'd be fucked, that's what.

"What's wrong? You're making strange faces," I looked up at Shizune with a dumbfounded expression still plastered on my face. "Can't you read?" she asked.

I nodded vigorously. I didn't want her to know I couldn't. Homeless boy with no parents can't read. Could I possibly get more pathetic?

Shizune looked skeptical, "Alright, read this paragraph," she lightly tapped the paragraph at the top of the page with her finger.

My grip on the book tightened and I looked back down at the symbols. I swallowed hard and fought back the panic bubbling in my stomach. I needed to calm down. I just needed to make an educated guess.

What kind of books do girls like to read? Simple. Romance!

"Uh, well, it says..." I gulped and wiped away the sweat that had formed on my forehead. "The guy... um... bumped into the girl and... helped her pick up what she dropped... then they went out for coffee-"

"Roku, this is a book on repairing damaged nerves and tissue."

"Oh..."

_Damn it! I was so close!_

Shizune plucked the book out of my hands and ruffled my hair. "Nice try,"

She put the book away and left for the bathroom. I stared after her, bonking myself in the head with the side of my fist once she was out of sight. Tonton walked over and rested her chin on my leg.

"Buhi,"

I was grateful for her reassurance.

"What kind of dipshit can't read?"

My head snapped around to glare at the blonde. Tsunade snickered, putting things away into her bag. Despite her annoying face, I could tell she was a little wavered from all the drinking she had done the night before. What's the best thing to do for a person with a hangover?

I started clapping as loud as possible.

"Gah!" the blonde winced and pressed her hand to her head.

"That was great," I applauded. "You really got me."

She glared and hissed between clenched teeth. Tsunade grabbed one of the empty bottles on the floor and chucked it in my direction. The glass sailed past my head and went straight through the wall, shattering into pieces in the hallway.

I froze mid clap and my mouth gaped open. I had felt the bottle graze my cheek. If it had been just a little closer, there would be a hole in my head instead of the wall.

Shizune appeared in the doorway while I was still paralyzed from the shock. "Tsunade! They'll make us pay for that!" she shouted, motioning towards the hole.

"Not if we hurry and get out of here!" Tsunade returned to putting things into her bag. "Hurry up and get the brat ready!"

Shizune tsked and motioned for me to follow her. "C'mon, Roku," she disappeared back into the bathroom.

I shakily pushed myself up. My legs felt like jelly and my brain still hadn't registered what the hell just happened. I slowly hobbled towards the bathroom, my ankle injury and the near death experience weren't helping me any. I paused to look at the hole.

_It's a perfect fucking circle!_

My face paled and my heart felt like it skipped a beat. If she was actually trying to hit me then I'd be dead. What if she was trying to hit me but her hangover impaired her aim? I tried to shake off the anxiety and limped into the bathroom.

"I thought you might like to take a bath." Shizune spoke once I entered the room. "So you can clean out your wounds." she added.

_Go ahead. Say it. The homeless kid needs to bathe._

The bathroom was pretty tiny. There was barely enough room for both of us. I slid around her and moved closer towards the tub. I stopped dead in my tracks.

My eyes widened at the sight of the clear water in front of me. My breath got caught in my throat and a sudden sharp pain stabbed me in the chest. My whole body quivered and my mouth went dry.

I can feel the water all around me.

_I can feel it!_

The foul tasting water filled my mouth and flooded my lungs. It crushed me from the inside out. Squeezing all the air out of me in slow, painful suffocation. The water hindered my ability to take in oxygen, watching me struggle to inhale.

_I can't breathe!_

I clutched my chest, bending over and fighting for air. My throat felt tight and I was starting to get light headed from the lack of oxygen. My muscles were starting to ache from the struggle.

_I can't... I can't feel anything!_

I couldn't feel my legs. The numbness slowly crept up my arms and took hold of them. My heart slammed against my chest and my lungs screamed for air.

_I'm so cold..._

All the heat had drained from my body, leaving me shivering and clenching my teeth. The world around me was getting dark. Black spots appeared in my vision and slowly expanded. My heart fought desperately to escape out of my chest but to no avail.

_I'm drowning..._

I heard a faint buzzing noise. It sounded far away. I could feel my life slowly slipping away from me.

_I'm so cold... so numb..._

The buzzing noise got louder. It almost sounded like a voice. My heart lurched and the darkness finally took over.

"Roku!"

Everything came rushing back. I inhaled sharply, my heart still beating rapidly. I blinked a few times, getting my eyes readjusted to the lighting. The feeling in my body had returned. I felt of my face, my neck, and my arms. I was still in the bathroom. I could feel myself trembling. I slowly turned, looking up at the woman.

Shizune was watching me intently. Her face was full of concern but she was clearly puzzled by the situation. She held my gaze for a long time before opening her mouth to speak.

"What's the hold up?" Tsunade appeared in the door.

"I-I'm not getting i-in there..." I stammered, taking a shaky step back and pointing at the tub. "Y-You can't make me!"

"I can't?" Tsunade scoffed. "You're not the one calling the shots, you little shit!" she pointed a finger at me. "Am I going to have to remind you who's in charge?"

"Tsunade-" Shizune tried to intervene.

"Now get your ass in the tub!" the blonde commanded. "We don't have all day!" she snapped when I stayed rooted to the spot.

"N-No! I won't!" I argued, standing my ground.

Tsunade stared at me in surprise, but a moment later her surprise turned to rage. The blonde moved into the crowded bathroom.

"Tsun- Ah!" the blonde roughly shoved Shizune against the wall, creating a large crack in it from the force.

I was too terrified to move. She grabbed me by the neck of my shirt and dropped me in the tub. I felt the lukewarm liquid hit my back and I immediately shot up. Tsunade pushed me back in by my chest, splashing water all over the room.

I fought against her, swinging my arms and kicking my legs wildly. My thrashing didn't faze her in the slightest. My mouth was wide open, breathing heavily from the pressure she was applying to me chest. My head went under the water and the liquid rushed into my waiting mouth.

The water slithered down my throat and filled my lungs. I choked and gagged, thrashing that much harder to get free. The water obscured my vision so I couldn't see Tsunade clearly. I tried to kick her, but missed and banged my bad ankle on the side of the tub.

I opened my mouth to cry out from the pain but the water quickly silenced me. More liquid filled my mouth in an attempt to suffocate me. My ankle throbbed and the water around me was turning a shade of pink.

I gripped Tsunade's arm with both hands. I arched my back and managed to raise myself up enough to get my mouth to the surface.

I screamed.

My screaming was cut short when I was forced back under and more water invaded my mouth. My limbs were exhausted but I tried to keep fighting. My heart rate continued to rise from the adrenaline coursing through me. The water had gotten darker and my lungs protested when the liquid attacked them. The black spots in my vision were returning.

_Can't breathe... Gonna... pass out..._

I struggled to keep my eyes open. My body just started to go limp when the hand on my chest was lifted. Through the murky water I could see Shizune grab the blonde by her shoulders and pull her back. I broke the surface of the water and gasped for air.

I sat up, clutching my chest and coughing up mouthfuls of water. I didn't get out of the red liquid. I just continued to sit there and struggle for oxygen. Water dripped off my face and into the tub. I didn't even know when I started crying. I looked over at the two women with tearful eyes.

Tsunade looked shocked. Like she was appalled by what she had just done. The blonde stared at me, and her mouth was open like she wanted to say something. She started to but choked up. Tsunade closed her mouth, shaking her head and quickly leaving the bathroom.

Shizune hurried towards me. She carefully lifted me out of the water and set me on the toilet seat. She leaned over and unclogged the tub, letting the murky water spiral down the drain.

A sudden surge of panic flashed through me. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. My breathing was fast and uneven. I was dizzy, the room around me was beginning to turn and blur in and out of focus. I couldn't stop myself from trembling and cold chills crept up my spine. I was so unbelievably cold! I felt like I was choking. I gagged and my heart sped up in alarm.

"Roku! Hey, Roku!" Shizune knelt beside me and took my face between her hands.

I stared at her with wide eyes, my irregular breathing getting faster. I clutched her wrists tightly, digging my nails into her skin.

"Roku, you have to calm down!" Shizune ordered. "Copy what I do!" I struggled to get my breathing under control. "Come on, do exactly as I do!"

She inhaled slowly and deeply through her nose then let the air out through her mouth. She kept her eyes locked to mine, enabling me to look away even if I wanted to. Shizune repeated the breathing and I tried to mimic her. Eventually I got my breathing to calm down and my heart rate began to slow. She continued to help me breath until I was mostly back to normal.

"Are you alright?" she asked, not yet breaking our eye contact or releasing my face.

I nodded weakly. I felt something dripping down my fingers and I gasped. My fingernails had dug in too deep, making small cuts on Shizune's wrist. I stared at her blood on my hands and quickly recoiled. She allowed it, pulling her hands back.

"I-I'm sorry..." I apologized, new tears pouring down my cheeks. "I-I didn't mean to... I am so sorry..."

"Shh. You don't need to apologize. It's no big deal," she smiled and gently brushed my wet hair out of my face. "Let me take a look at your ankle."

I gave her another weak nod. She carefully lifted my leg and examined the wound. She peeled off the wet bandages that had been wrapped around it previously.

"I noticed your ankle when I dressed your wounds yesterday," Shizune explained, holding my leg with one hand and doing hand signs with the other. "This injury is different from all your others. Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

I shook my head. "Um... A hook got stuck in it..." I replied hesitantly, not sure if I wanted her to know that I was fished out of the ocean.

"I see. How did that happen?" she asked. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me." she added when I didn't respond.

I stared in awe when her hand began to glow green. Shizune lightly touched my ankle wound and I flinched from the pain it caused. I could feel the pain beginning to subside the longer she held her hand there. After a couple minutes, she pulled her hand away. The only sign left of the wound was the smeared blood on my leg.

"H-How did you do that?" I asked, completely amazed.

"It's a type of healing ninjutsu," Shizune replied, looking amused by my awestruck expression.

It was my first time seeing someone use jutsu in this world. I was pretty damn impressed. My drenched clothes and the water still dripping off my skin pretty much ruined it for me though. I cringed and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat.

Shizune noticed my discomfort, "I'll take care of the rest of your wounds."

I didn't fight it. I let her remove the rest of my soaked bandages and gauze. She continued to use the healing jutsu on my smaller wounds. I think she only did it because she knew I liked it and it distracted me. When she finished, she grabbed the amazingly still dry towel.

Shizune wrapped the towel around my shivering body. She gently ruffled my hair with it, drying out some of the water. She dried my arms and legs but that was all she could do. Since Tsunade threw me into the tub while I was fully clothed, I had to suffer until they dried.

"I think that's the best we can do for now," Shizune adjusted the towel so it covered everything from the neck down. "Can you stand?"

I was still trembling violently. My body felt sore. Maybe I could force myself to stand but I probably wouldn't be able to walk. Not yet at least. Not while I was still scared stiff.

"Hey, don't cry anymore, alright?" she wiped away a few stray tears with her thumb. I hadn't even realized I was still crying. Shizune easily lifted me and stood up. "You're safe now, Roku." she whispered and I buried my face in her neck.

_Vanilla..._

I like vanilla. It's easy to breathe. It doesn't hurt. It pleases the senses.

_Vanilla good. Water bad._

"I'll carry the bags," I heard Tsunade say.

Shizune didn't reply, just opened the door and kept walking. My clothes clung to my body and the towel I was wrapped in was damp.

_So much water..._

The thought of water being on me gave me terrible anxiety. I focused on my breathing. Trying to mimic Shizune and keep myself calm. I was managing well up to the point where Tsunade destroyed my nerves again.

"I'll wait here with Roku while you check out." the blonde said and I could feel Shizune's arms tighten around me. "I'm not going to hurt him." Tsunade reasoned. "They're less likely to bill you for that hole in the wall."

Shizune sighed and I raised my head. "I'll be back in second. Alright?" she smiled reassuringly and I gave her a feeble nod in return.

She set me on the floor, not too far away from Tsunade. I watched Shizune walk to the front desk and tried to fight back the terror I felt from being so close to the crazy blonde lady. We didn't speak. Just waited in silence for Shizune to return.

I felt something being draped over my shoulders. I touched the warm fabric, a little bit bewildered.

_A jacket?_

I looked up at the blonde in surprise. She had her arms crossed and she was looking off in the other direction. Her cheeks were tainted a light pink.

"You'll get sick if you go outside like that..." Tsunade told me. "You can... wear my jacket for awhile. It'll keep you warm..."

_Was that an apology?_

I didn't have time to ask her. Shizune returned a moment later and Tsunade pulled her aside, speaking in a quiet voice. I slipped my arms through the correct holes and held the jacket tighter around me. Tsunade's jacket smelled like smoke and alcohol. I preferred vanilla, but it was better than freezing to death. I looked over at the two women, straining my ears in an attempt to hear what they were saying.

"Buhi?" Tonton asked.

"I dunno," I replied softly.

Tonton sniffed the jacket and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Buhi buhi,"

"I know, but it's the thought that counts." I smiled meekly when Shizune approached.

Tsunade left the motel, leaving the three of us alone. Shizune picked me back up and threw the bags over her other shoulder. I could probably walk now, but hey, I'm not going to complain. We left the motel and Tonton trotted along beside us as we walked down the street.

"Tsunade gave me her jacket..." I broke the silence between us.

"Nice of her," Shizune replied bitterly.

She didn't seem very happy with the blonde. I mean, I'm not exactly thrilled with her either, but Shizune seems really angry. It was kind of comforting to know that Shizune actually cared about me. Or she at least had enough decency not to kill me.

"It doesn't smell very good... but I thought I'd humor her..." the corner of Shizune's mouth twitched. She tried to fight back the smile but failed. "So where are we going?" I asked now that she was in a better mood.

"We're going to get you some clothes," Shizune answered. "You could use some new ones."

_She's calling me homeless in that subtle way again..._

"Where did Tsunade go? Did she not want to come with us?" I frowned. It didn't really bother me that the blonde didn't tag along but it'd be nice to know what happened to her.

"Tsunade had some..." Shizune paused while she searched for the right word. "Business to take care of. She gave me a lot of money to spend on you then said she'd meet up with us later."

_By business, I assume she means gambling._

Tsunade gave her money to spend on me? That's unexpected... One second she's trying to kill me then the next she's buying me things. That woman is hard to figure out...

* * *

Shizune pretty much turned me loose at the store and told me to pick out whatever I wanted. With the help of Tonton, we managed to pick out some clothes. I actually have shoes now! Tonton has awesome taste for a pig. That red jacket and pearl collar she wears is a great example of her tremendous fashion. She knows her way around a clothes rack.

Afterwards, we got breakfast. Shizune just let me eat and eat and eat! I ate more than I could hold! What I didn't eat, Tonton picked over and gobbled down. I guess you could say we pigged out! Tonton didn't think my joke was funny either.

Awhile later, we got popsicles and sat on a park bench to eat them. Shizune ate about half of hers, got tired of Tonton staring at her, then gave the rest to the pig. There was no way in hell I was going to give my popsicle to that greedy bastard.

"Hey, Shizune?" I took a bite out of my ice pop. It might be too cold for popsicles but I was still enjoying it.

"Hm?" she looked over at me.

"Could you teach me how to do that thing you did earlier?" I grinned. "Ya know, that thing you used to heal my ankle. That was so cool!"

Shizune chuckled, "I think you should work on reading before you try anything else," she ruffled my hair.

"But that's no fun!" I protested and she laughed.

I was going to persist further, but Tsunade came sprinting down the street. The blonde skidded to a stop in front of us, panting heavily. Shizune raised her eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

"We have to leave!" Tsunade said when she finally caught her breath.

"Why? What happened?" Shizune frowned.

"I lost," Tsunade admitted. "I lost all of the money and now they want it back."

"Tsunade!" Shizune hissed. "I told you to pay them back!"

"Yeah and I didn't listen!" the blonde snapped. "They're looking for me right now, Shizune!"

I was so confused. Isn't Tsunade like the strongest woman to ever walk the earth? Couldn't she just beat the guys up and move on? Did she not want to do that? Did she suddenly get morals or something? She is a strange lady...

"Buhi! Buhi!"

"Shut up, Tonton!" Tsunade growled. "This no time for your criticizing!" she turned back towards Shizune. "Look, if I don't pay them back they'll find other ways to get even. If they saw me with you two," her eyes flickered to me then back to Shizune. Shizune seemed to understand what she was implying.

"Gah!" I cried out when the world suddenly turned upside down.

Tsunade had thrown me over her shoulder and tucked Tonton under her other arm. "Grab the bags and let's go!" the blonde starting running.

"Tsunade! Hey! Wait!" Shizune called after her.

She quickly grabbed the bags and followed us. I was unable to hold on to my popsicle. The cherry flavored joy bringer plummeted to the ground and got trampled by Shizune a moment later.

I think my heart just shattered.

I went limp. I probably would never recover from such a traumatizing incident. We kept running to wherever Tsunade deemed "safe," Tonton oinking all the way.

* * *

**That's the end of Chapter 3! I hope you guys enjoyed it! **

**Tonton is probably the best character in the whole story. I'm just saying. Roku is having a hard time. That's what? Three times now that Tsunade has tried to kill him? She threw him into the sun, almost took his head off with an empty liquor bottle, and almost drowned him in a bathtub. Guardian of the year, everybody!**

**I want to thank all you guys for the support! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story! As usual, let me know what you guys think and any suggestions you may have! **

**Until next time! **


	5. Gambling with Grandma

**Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 4 of WtH! I know that it's been like forever since I updated this story. The reason for that is lack of inspiration and writers block. I didn't even know what to do for this chapter. Eventually I figured my life out and here we are! **

**In the chapter, our hero gets to pull a lever. Yeah, that's the summary. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto~**

* * *

Tsunade peered out the window, the moon providing just enough light to see the world outside. There was no one on the streets below and no lights shone from the visible houses. Everything was quiet except for the chirping crickets. They was no sign of any hitmen. It appeared that she was going to get away with not paying the men back after all.

"Tsunade," Shizune's quiet voice spoke from behind her.

The blonde closed the curtains and turned towards her former student. Tsunade blinked a few times to get her eyes adjusted to the dark room. When her vision cleared, she could make out the troubled look on Shizune's face.

"We need to talk about what happened today," Shizune told her.

"There's nothing to talk about," Tsunade insisted, pulling the curtain back slightly and glancing out the window. "Looks like they haven't found us. There's nothing to worry about." she released the edge of the fabric and let it cover the window once more.

"I'm not talking about you gambling away all our money," Shizune narrowed her eyes. "again." she added bitterly.

"Then what is it?" the blonde asked in annoyance.

"I want to talk about what happened with Roku," she explained.

"Oh," Tsunade replied quietly, realization dawning on her. "I already made up for it." she wanted nothing more than to drop the subject all together.

She looked over at the boy curled up under some blankets on the floor. His breathing was soft and steady, his mouth open slightly. Roku was using Tonton as a pillow, drooling all over her jacket. The pig snored contently and occasionally twitched from whatever dream she was having.

"You might have made it up to him, but not to me." Shizune scowled.

"It wasn't my fault." Tsunade defended herself. "If the brat wouldn't have been so defiant then it wouldn't have happened."

"He's afraid of water, Tsunade!" Shizune snapped. They both looked over at Roku but he showed no sign that he heard the woman's outburst. He heaved a sigh and snuggled closer to Tonton.

Shizune looked back at the blonde and lowered her voice. "You figured that out but you still threw him in."

"He needed to be shown who's boss..."

"So you decided to drown him?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade flinched and looked away. "I wasn't trying to hurt him..." she mumbled. "When he hit his leg..." she cringed at the memory of the scarlet water.

"He started bleeding." Shizune finished the blonde's thought. "He's afraid of water just like you're afraid of blood."

"Don't compare me to that brat!" Tsunade hissed sharply. "We're nothing alike!"

How dare Shizune say they're the same. That kid didn't know the meaning of the word fear. After all the blood she's had on her hands. After all the deaths she's had to witness.

_After Nawaki and Dan..._

Tsunade shuddered and pressed her back against the wall. She clenched her teeth together and tried to shake off the bad memories. Her body trembled slightly and she swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in her throat. The blonde took a deep breath to get herself back under control.

Shizune didn't say anything while she waited for her former teacher to recover from her trauma. "I know that you don't like him," she said softly once the blonde was stable.

"It's not like I hate him..." Tsunade muttered, looking over at the slumbering child.

"Roku doesn't have anywhere else to go. I couldn't live with myself if we ditched him and something happened to him. " Shizune told her. "Could you at least make an effort to tolerate him?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah, fine." the blonde grumbled. "I'll be nicer to the brat."

Shizune smiled in relief, "Thank you." she turned away from her. "Try to get some rest."

Tsunade watched her friend lie down with Roku and Tonton. The blonde stayed where she was. After a few moments, she pulled the curtain back and looked out into the peaceful night.

* * *

For the next few days we stayed inside our motel room. Tsunade didn't want to risk running into any of her loaners. If we needed anything, like food, Shizune was the one who went out to get it. When she did, that pretty much left me alone with the crazy blonde for twenty to thirty minutes. Tsunade hadn't really said much to me after almost drowning me in the bathtub.

She was ignoring me. She was ignoring what she did.

She did apologize in her own way, but you can't just simply forgive someone for almost killing you. I feel so uneasy when I'm near her. I flinch if our hands accidentally touch when we're reaching for the same object. I quickly look away if our eyes meet.

I'm afraid.

_I'm afraid of Tsunade._

I might not actually be afraid of the Sannin in general. I might just be afraid of what she did to me. Still, those thoughts don't stop me from cowering in fear whenever the blonde walks towards me.

My relationship with Shizune has also changed. Over the past few days, we've gotten a lot closer. She's been teaching me how to read and write. Last time she went out on a food run, she brought home some alphabet books for me to study.

I have to admit, learning Japanese is probably the hardest thing I've ever done. English is still my native language and it normally took people years to completely learn a second one. My motor skills are complete shit. It took me a whole day just to figure out how to hold a pencil.

Shizune has been very patient with me. She never got mad if I screwed up my alphabet or butchered the words I was trying to write. She encouraged me to keep trying whenever I became frustrated with myself. When I actually did something well, she'd flash me that warm smile of hers and praise me.

When she praised me, I got this tickling sensation in my chest and I got a little light headed.

It felt great.

I started craving her praise. I worked extra hard and looked at her expectantly for feedback when I had completed something. No matter how hard I tried, I still wasn't able to do everything on my own.

Shizune would often read to me, hoping that by hearing and seeing the words, I would be able to remember them. I also often sat on her lap with a notepad. I'd hold the pencil and she'd place her hand over mine, writing out the alphabet and words to help me get a feel for them.

When I wasn't practicing the basics, I pondered over what it'd be like to learn jutsu. More importantly, did I even want to learn them? Learning how to fight would turn me into a Shinobi.

Shinobi killed people.

I shuddered at the thought of having someone's blood on my hands. Thinking about what being a Shinobi entitled always made my stomach twist and gurgle in displeasure. Chakra frightened but also intrigued me. I wanted to know how it worked and how I could control it.

I tried to soothe my mind by telling myself that a little chakra training wouldn't turn me into a serial killer. I asked Shizune again if she would teach me, but she refused. She was very firm on this subject. She even got a little angry when I kept persisting, going as far to tell me not to bring it up again.

I was confused by her behavior. Why didn't she want me to learn how to control my chakra? She was a hard woman to figure out.

It was nearing the afternoon, I entertained myself by rolling around on the blankets with Tonton. We had just eaten lunch and the two medical ninja were standing by the window.

"The merchant offered a decent amount of money for an escort," Shizune explained to the blonde. "We could use the money, so I took the job."

"How long will you be gone?" Tsunade asked while Shizune went to grab her bag.

"I'll just be escorting him to the next town over," she knelt down by the bag and opened it, rummaging around for something. "I should be back before it gets dark."

I tilted my head back curiously, trying to see what she was looking for. Everything was upside down due to me lying on my back and trying to see what was behind me. The distraction had made me forget about the game I had been playing with Tonton.

The pig suddenly leaped on my stomach, digging her hooves into me. It completely knocked the breath out of me and spit flew out of my mouth. I gasped and wheezed for air. The pig's heavy weight made my chest hurt and I struggled to get her off. With a great amount of effort, I finally managed to push her off.

I inhaled now that the heavy weight was gone, and rolled over on my stomach. I got on my hands and knees and scuffled towards Shizune. She pulled out some kind of contraption from the bag and rolled up her sleeve.

"What is that?" I asked, peering at it curiously.

"It's a senbon launcher," Shizune explained, fastening the buckles around her wrist. "You put these," she held up a needle like object with sharp points on each end. "in here," she inserted them into the holes of the metal part of the device. "and pull this back," she pulled the strings just far enough back so I could see them. "and when you let go, the senbons shoot out."

"Wow!" my eyes lit up and I grinned excitedly, clenching my hands into fists and bouncing on my knees. "I wanna see! I wanna see!"

I tried to grab the senbon launcher but she held her arm away from me. "It's not a toy," she told me.

"But I wanna see it!" I jumped, trying to grab the strings when I did so. I really wanted to see this thing in action!

Shizune moved her arm away, but when I didn't relent she grabbed my wrist. "Roku, I'm serious, you can't play with it." she said sternly. "You might hurt yourself,"

She released my wrist and stood up. I folded my arms in front of my chest and jutted out my bottom lip. I found that pouting is much more effective as a small child rather than a teenager. I pulled my eyebrows together and stared up at Shizune with the best pouty face I could manage.

She glanced at me, rolling her sleeve back down to cover the weapon. She tried to ignore my pleading face but eventually sighed and relented. "Maybe I'll show you how it works when I come back,"

_Victory!_

No one can resist the pouty face!

I grinned widely and nodded my head. Shizune chuckled at my drastic change in attitude and gently tousled my hair. She looked from me to Tsunade and said, "Behave,"

Tsunade grunted and waved her hand dismissively. "Just get out of here already," the blonde rolled her eyes. "Roku and I can manage fine by ourselves."

Shizune looked skeptical about that. I gave her a reassuring smile to let her know it was okay. She smiled back and turned towards the door.

I'd be okay with Tsunade for a little bit. The blonde couldn't possibly kill me in that short amount of time. After all, Shizune would be back in about thirty min-

"I'll be back in a couple of hours,"

Wait, what?

_A couple hours?!_

In a panic, I looked from Tsunade to Shizune who already had her hand on the doorknob. There is no way in hell I'm going to be alone with the crazy blonde for that long! Did Shizune not remember all the times we've been alone together? She almost killed me every single time! Tsunade even almost killed me when Shizune was in the same room! Why hasn't she learned from those mistakes?!

I quickly darted forward and wrapped my arms around her leg. I could feel Tsunade glaring daggers into my back and a shudder went down my spine. "Take me with you!" I begged, looking up at her with wide, pleading eyes.

She looked down at me, a little taken aback from my actions. I wasn't normally this clingy, but the thought of being stuck with Tsunade all day had me trembling. "Roku," she sighed, pulling her eyebrows together in a sympathetic expression. "I can't bring you along. It might be dangerous."

I suddenly felt really sick at my stomach. Dangerous? As in, she could be killed? The image of Shizune's lifeless body in a ditch somewhere flashed through my mind, causing bile to rise up in the back of my throat. My stomach twisted painfully from the anxiety.

No, Shizune was strong. She wouldn't be beaten so easily by random bandits or the people Tsunade had borrowed money from. What if she just didn't want me to come? What if she wanted to get away?

_What if she's leaving me?!_

"You're just gonna leave me?!" my voice wavered and cracked. I blinked back the hot tears that burned my eyes. I couldn't stop my body from shaking, my throat felt tight and it was hard to swallow.

Shizune looked puzzled. She was probably wondering why I said "leave me," instead of "leave me here." I didn't even know why I said it. It just came out that way. I couldn't stop myself and now the words were out there.

Shizune exchanged a knowing look with Tsunade before focusing her attention back on me. "Roku," she said gently, trying to pry me off her.

I tightened my grip around her strong, but slender leg. I wasn't going to let go. I couldn't let go. If I released her, she'd leave me and I'd never see her again.

She had to use a little more force to untangle my arms from her leg. Not having anything to hold on to, I wrapped my arms around myself for support. She crouched down on one knee, studying my reddened face. "Roku, I'm going to come back." she told me. She tried to look me in the eyes but I avoided her gaze. "I won't be gone long."

She was lying. I could tell. She's leaving me for good.

My body continued to tremble. I hung my head and choked back a sob. "Hey," Shizune gripped my chin and tilted my head back up. Our eyes met briefly. I intended to look away but found myself unable to. "Roku, I'm not leaving you." she looked and sounded sincere. "You'll be okay. Besides, somebody has to make sure Tsunade behaves." she smiled playfully.

"Bite me," the blonde muttered in the background.

Shizune wiped a stray tear off my cheek with her thumb. I smiled weakly back at her though I'm sure I still looked as distressed as I felt. "I promise I'll come back," with those final words, she pressed her warm lips against my forehead.

I was stunned at first but I quickly recovered. I fought back the urge to wrap my arms around her neck and cling to her with all my might. I probably would have if I didn't clench my arms with my hands.

She pulled back, smiled, and stroked my head. I watched her stand up and leave the room. I almost crumpled to the floor when the door swung shut behind her. I touched the spot on my forehead that she had kissed. It still felt warm. I tried to get as much comfort from it as I could.

_She'll be back... She'll be back..._

I repeated over and over in my head that she would return. I stayed glued to the spot in front of the door. I continued to stare at the barrier separating me from her. I don't know how long I stood there, but it felt like eternity.

"Buhi buhi..." Tonton nudged me gently. I managed to tear my eyes away from the door long enough to look at her. The pig flattened her ears to her lowered head and wagged her curly tail.

I rubbed her head, though my whole heart wasn't in it like it usually was. I felt so hollow. I wouldn't be able to justify the reason why if someone asked me. I just did.

Tonton bit the end of my shirt and tugged me away from the door. I didn't fight it. I just let her guide me wherever she wanted. I wasn't paying much attention to where we were going. I was too busy looking longingly over my shoulder at the door.

I felt a hand roughly connect to the top of my head. I turned and stared at the Sannin in surprise. Tonton had guided me over to where the blonde was sitting against the wall. The pig released my shirt and nuzzled my leg.

Tsunade pursed her lips as we continued to stare at each other in silence. "It'll be fine," she finally said.

_That's it? Really?_

"Shizune's trustworthy," the blonde continued. "If she said she'll be back, then she'll be back."

Her words did nothing to soothe my anxiety. We fell back into silence, her hand still resting on my head. I would have brushed her off, but I was afraid she'd throw me out the window if I did.

"I heard you ask Shizune to teach you "the glowy hand thing" last night." Tsunade said, referring to what I had called it. "You're interested in Medical Ninjutsu?"

The question caught me off guard. "I dunno..." I replied, feeling a little awkward talking so casually with the Sannin. "I just thought it was really cool..."

"Have you even discovered your chakra yet?"

That was a good question. Have I discovered my chakra? Not me, but the kid who inhabited this body before I took over. I wasn't sure, so I shook my head.

"Figures," Tsunade grunted, reaching into her bag and stuffing the money she pulled out into her jacket pocket.

I was about to say something snarky back, but the blonde stood up. I watched her walk to the door, she paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Well? Are you coming?" she asked impatiently.

"Where are we going?" I frowned in confusion. Tsunade hadn't left the hotel room since we got there.

"To the casino," she replied with a shrug. "I feel like getting rich."

We both knew how Shizune felt about gambling. If she caught us, she'd be infuriated. "But Shizune-"

"Doesn't have to know." the blonde finished the sentence for me. "C'mon, you want to learn how to use your chakra, don't you?" Now I was really interested. She noticed that she had my attention and grinned mischievously. "If you keep this quiet from Shizune, I'll teach you how to control it. Do we have a deal?"

I didn't like lying to Shizune but she refused to teach me how to control my chakra. Tsunade was my only option left. "We have a deal."

* * *

I have never been in a casino before. There were endless rows of slot machines and I was surprised to see so many people there. I really liked all the colorful, lit up signs and flashing lights. The orange carpet was stained with suspicious substances and some of the chairs had chunks taken out of them. The whole place smelled like smoke and desperation. I coughed at the unpleasant odor.

If these were the kind of places Tsunade hung out, it made a lot of sense that her jacket would smell like tobacco. I followed the Sannin to an empty slot, staying unusually close. I didn't like the looks of the other people in here. They'd probably rip my head off if I looked at them wrong.

Tsunade sat down in a chair. "Alright," she rubbed her hands together and grinned. "Let's win some money."

"Hey!" I interjected. "You said you'd teach me about chakra!"

She gave me an annoyed look and I glared at her in return. "Fine," she huffed, turning her body towards me. "Most people discover their chakra through meditation."

"Meditation?" I repeated, tilting my head to the side.

"Did I stutter? Yes, meditation!" I scowled and she snickered at my idiocy. "Just sit down there and meditate." she turned back towards the slot machine, not offering anymore instruction.

I sighed and sat down on the floor. I crossed my legs, trying to get into a comfortable position. I closed my eyes, trying to tune out the world around me.

Meditating was a hell of a lot harder than I expected.

The casino was deafeningly loud. People were shouting, machines were beeping, and the clanking sound of money shooting out filled the room. My lungs were still aching from the smoke around me. Somehow, I managed to focus on the meditation.

It took a lot of deep breathing and concentration, but I finally felt something. There was a strange blue light among the darkness. I'm not sure what it was, but I was drawn to it. I felt a burning sensation in my stomach. It didn't hurt, but it was distinctively noticeable.

The sensation started at my stomach and worked its way to the rest of my body. I could feel it coursing down my legs and up my arms. Just like my blood, it was circulating through my body and giving me life.

My eyes snapped open and reality came rushing back. I was no longer in the dark with the blue light. I was back in the casino with the screaming gamblers. I could barely contain my excitement over what I had discovered. I couldn't wait to brag about it to Tsunade!

I turned just in time to see her slam her forehead against the slot machine. The machine rattled and I'm positive if she had hit it any harder it would have broke in half. I pushed myself to my feet and tugged on her pants leg. She looked down at me out of the corner of her eye.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my excitement from earlier slowly slipping away.

"What do you mean what's wrong? This damn thing is taking all my money!" the blonde punched the machine and it rattled once again.

I jumped and scrambled on to her lap. I examined the machine carefully once I had gotten up there. There might have been instructions written on it but I could only pick out a few words. The screen was slightly cracked from where Tsunade had assaulted it. What caught my eye the most was the bright red lever.

"Can I pull it?" I asked, looking at the blonde hopefully.

I was pleasantly surprised that Tsunade hadn't thrown me off her lap yet. "Go for it," the blonde grunted, looking discouraged from her failed efforts to get rich.

I grinned happily and placed my hand on the lever. I felt so important! "In three... two... one..." I counted down, feeling like the guy in NASA who's only job was to count down the launch but was the guy everyone remembered. I watched the slots spin with delight.

I'm not sure what happened but the next thing I know, the bulbs on the machine light up and it makes a ringing sound. Coins start shooting out and Tsunade leans closer to the screen in disbelief.

"How did you...?" the blonde stared with her mouth gaping open.

"Um... Sorry..." I mumbled, feeling a sense of dread. The last thing I wanted was to make the Sannin angry.

"Do it again!" she demanded and pointed to the lever when I didn't understand.

She wanted me to pull the lever? Hey, I didn't mind! I really liked pulling it anyway! I pulled the lever and the machine repeated what it had done previously.

"You're really good at this!" Tsunade grinned.

"I just like pulling the lever..." I replied hesitantly. I don't understand why she got really happy all the sudden.

"You can pull it as many times as you want!"

"Really?" I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Tsunade actually being nice was a rare occurrence.

"Of course!" the blonde ruffled my hair. "Go right ahead, kid!"

Tsunade hardly ever called me anything other than brat. Hearing her call me kid made me really happy.

I pulled that lever to my heart's content. Each time I did, Tsunade got even more giddy. Maybe she liked levers just as much as did! The blonde had to set a basket on the floor to catch all the coins that came out. A crowd gathered around us, watching in awe. Someone made a comment about how kids shouldn't be in here and Tsunade told them to fuck off.

She defended me! She actually defended me!

We played on the slot machine for hours. Tsunade seemed to never want to stop. I was fine with it though. I liked having the people crowded around us cheer me on.

After awhile, a familiar face pushed through the crowd. "Tsunade!" I felt the blonde's body tense. We both looked over at Shizune.

She looked mad.

Like _really_ mad.

"Hey Shizune," Tsunade grinned timidly. "How did the job go?"

"You brought a child to a casino?!" she shouted in disbelief. "I can't believe you'd be that irresponsible!"

"Roku was upset about you leaving so I thought I'd cheer him up!" the blonde tried to defend herself. "Look how much fun he's having!"

"I pulled the lever!" I told her, puffing out my chest proudly.

Shizune held her arms out and I gladly went to her, despite Tsunade's protests. I wrapped my arms around her neck and nuzzled her. The scent of vanilla was refreshing after inhaling smoke for hours. When I looked back, Tsunade wasn't sitting in front of the slot machine anymore.

I looked around the room, completely puzzled. The blonde was no where in sight. The crowd hurriedly dispersed and Shizune made her way for the exit. We stepped outside and I was surprised to the see the sun setting. We'd really been in the casino for a long time.

I spotted something strange once we were out of the casino. There was a leg sticking out of a hole in the side of a building, debris covering the body it was attached to. Closer examination told me that it was Tsunade's leg. My face paled and I quickly snuggled against Shizune, feeling her arms squeeze me in response.

I guess Tsunade isn't the only one with monster strength...

* * *

**That's the end of Chapter 4! I hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**Roku is finally learning to read and write even though it is with difficulty. He also discovered his chakra with the vague instructions that Tsunade gave him. When this chapter was originally written, it didn't contain the part about Roku's separation anxiety when Shizune went out on a mission/job. I'm glad that I added it in. It's normal for small children to have separation anxiety from their parents. I can't go one chapter without causing Roku some kind of distress, can I? **

**I want to thank all you guys for your support and patience! You guys are amazing! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far! As usual, let me know what you guys think and any suggestions you may have!**

**Until next time!**

**EDIT: I figured I would justify Roku's behavior near the end of the chapter since it can be confusing. Roku didn't just get the kid's ability to speak Japanese he also inherited a number of childish traits. He was immature in his past life but now childlike behavior is inevitable. Him counting down and pretending he was guy from NASA was just Roku being Roku. Him bragging to Shizune about pulling the lever was him trying to act innocent to get out of trouble. Hope that clears up any questions you may have. **


	6. Wet Dreams

**Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 5 of WtH! I hope I haven't kept you guys waiting too long. I've been working on this chapter all week, a little bit at a time. I've just been so busy. I also won't have any time to write this weekend so I quickly finished this up so you guys would have a little something. **

**In this chapter, our hero has a haunting nightmare. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto~**

* * *

Saying Shizune was mad is an understatement. Saying she was frickin' pissed is more accurate.

Her anger wasn't directed at me. She was more pissed off at Tsunade over taking a child to a casino. Not only that, but I've come to realize that Shizune really hates gambling. Which is strange since that's all the Sannin wants to do. How they've gone this long without killing each other is a mystery to me.

Once we got back to the hotel room, she turned on me. The last thing I wanted was to get on Shizune's bad side. I didn't want to end up like Tsunade lying in a hole somewhere. The best thing to do was to fake innocence.

I just sat there on the floor, hugging Tonton to my chest, and looking confused. Shizune ranted about irresponsibility some more before accusing me of "feeding her habit" as she put it. I forced myself to get teary eyed, which was a lot easier than I expected, and pretended like I didn't understand. Shizune relented after that. She simply told me what was right and what was wrong then dropped the subject all together.

I'm really relying on the whole "he's a baby and doesn't know any better" act. Being a kid again does have its perks. If I was still a teenager, I can guarantee that I wouldn't have gotten out of that without some form of punishment.

We went to bed after our little talk. At least I did, there was still no sign of Tsunade so Shizune stayed up to wait for her.

That was the first night I dreamed since starting my new life.

* * *

I'm not sure where I was, but I was forced to keep looking up.

The sky above was dark. The clouds were grey and swollen, like they would explode at any minute. It was so hot and humid. My clothes were sticking to my body and beads of sweat formed on my skin. I could see the top of whatever I was currently lying in.

_It's some kind of a container..._

Shadows cast over me, blocking out what little sunlight was available. The people standing over me where all wearing black. They seemed normal enough, except they didn't have faces.

Smooth, pale skin replaced their facial features. Their skin was so clear that I could see my reflection. I looked scarier than the faceless people.

There was no life in my cloudy gaze. My chest didn't rise nor fall. My usually unkempt hair had been combed to perfection. I was also wearing a suit.

_That's not me..._

Where was that glint in my green irises I often saw when I looked in the mirror? Why wasn't my chest moving when I breathed? Why was my unruly, blonde hair combed down instead of matted with hair gel? Where was my favorite hoodie? I never wore suits, so why was I wearing one now?

Apart from my own reflection, I could see what I was lying in.

It was a coffin.

The faceless people slowly shuffled aside, letting someone else step forward. Unlike them, she had a face. She was so familiar. After looking at her for a moment longer, it finally dawned on me. My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat.

_Mom?_

I hadn't seen her in what felt like forever. Something was wrong. Something was different. She wasn't the same as when I last saw her.

A scene of our last interaction flashed before my eyes.

_We were in front of our house. I was loading a cooler into the trunk of my car. My mother stood to the side while I shut the door. She smiled warmly and pulled me into a hug. I tried to playfully brush her off but her hold on me tightened. I faked an annoyed sigh and reluctantly wrapped my arms around her._

_We pulled apart, but she still held my hands in hers. "Be careful on the road," she told me. "And text me when you get there so I know you got there safely."_

_"Alrighty," I grinned, giving her hands a squeeze._

_I was ready to let go and get in the car when she added, "Be sure to wait thirty minutes after you eat before you go swimming." she warned, looking way too serious._

_"Mom, I'm not gonna drown if I jump in the lake after I eat." I laughed at my overly cautious mother. She had always been superstitious about everything._

_"Please be careful," my mother sighed. "We both know how clumsy you are."_

_"Gee, thanks, mom," I faked being hurt by her comment._

_She giggled and rubbed her thumb over my knuckles. "I love you,"_

_"I love you too," I leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. I pulled away from her and walked around to the driver's side of the car. "I'll see you at dinner."_

_As I was pulling out of the driveway, I could see her waving at me. Her bright smile was infectious, I couldn't help but grin back. I waved at her before driving away._

She wasn't the mother I remembered.

Her usually bright, golden hair that flowed over her shoulders was dull and pulled back into a tight bun on her head. Her normally shining blue eyes were watery and red. Her mouth, typically flashing her warm, caring smile, was gaped open in choking sobs.

My mother, who refused to where dark colors because they were too gloomy, was wearing black. Tears streamed down her face and she clutched a handful of tissues to her chest.

I wanted to hug her. I wanted to hold her close to me, stroke her silky hair, and tell her everything was fine. I wanted to make bad jokes about the situation and have her lightly smack my arm. I wanted to wipe her tears away and tell her that I was there for her.

Unfortunately, I couldn't move my body so I was forced to watch her cry.

My mother pressed her hand against the side of my face, rubbing her thumb gently over my cheek. Her warm fingers felt comforting against my own clammy skin.

"My baby," she sobbed, new tears rolling down her cheeks. "My baby," she repeated, choking on each syllable.

_Mom..._

I wanted to grab her hand. I wanted to lace her fingers with mine. I wanted to comfort her and tell her it was okay.

I still couldn't move and she pulled her hand away. She stared at me for a little longer, unable to tear her puffy eyes away. Still sobbing, she turned away from me.

_Wait! Don't go!_

I tried to call out to her but my mouth wouldn't work. I struggled furiously with my limp arms, wanting to grab her before she left. I looked down quickly, searching for any restraints. There were none. I hurriedly raised my head back up, watching my mother move farther away.

_Mom! Please don't go! Don't leave me! Mom!_

She slowly faded away. The faceless people dispersed into nothing. The lid of the coffin creaked as it slowly closed over me.

_No! Mom! I'm not dead! You can't let them bury me!_

Panic coursed through my body once the lid was secured shut. I don't know if it was the adrenaline or what, but I was able to move my body now. I thrashed and kicked and pounded on the casket.

"Mom!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Help me!"

I felt something wet under me, soaking into my clothes. I looked down and my heart leaped in fright.

The coffin was starting to fill up with water.

Water began to drip from the lid, splattering on my body like rain. I frantically started pounding on the coffin again. I hit the casket so hard I felt a strong ache shoot up my arms and legs.

_"My baby..."_

My mother's words echoed in my ears. The water level kept rising and tears were already forming in my eyes. I rammed my head as hard as I could against the top of the coffin. Ignoring my brain rattling around in my skull, I continued to headbutt it.

The water had completely covered my legs and stomach, working it's way up to my chest. My heart slammed against my rib cage in a frenzy. My whole head was throbbing and the freezing water sent shivers down my spine.

_"My baby..."_

Tears poured down my cheeks and choking noises escaped my mouth. The water had now covered my chest and neck. My vision was blurred and my mother's voice ringing in my ears didn't ease my panic.

"Somebody help me!" I pleaded, tilting my head back to keep it above water.

I dragged my fingernails down the top of the casket, too tired to thrash around any longer. The water was almost covering my nose.

"Help..." my voice sounded weak and pitiful.

Hopeless.

My heart still racing, a last few tears escaped my eyes.

The water engulfed my body, forcing it's way past my mouth and down my throat like it was nothing.

I tried to scream but it was muffled by the water. My limbs were too tired to fight against it. My lungs protested painfully against the liquid and I'm certain my heart had overexerted itself to the point of no return.

I was going to drown all over again in my own coffin.

All I could hear as I slipped into the darkness was-

_"My baby..." _

* * *

My eyes flew open and I shot upright on the floor. I gasped, clutching the place over my frantically racing heart. I was freezing, but beads of sweat dotted my forehead. My body was trembling and I wasn't breathing.

_I can't breathe!_

I struggled to swallow the lump in my front. My mouth was as dry as cotton. I tried to calm down my rapid heart rate though not being able to breath had added to my panic. I finally managed to inhale air through my nose. I focused on my breathing, terrified that if I didn't I'd stop again.

Tears rolled down my cheeks and dripped off my chin, splashing on my lap. I clenched my teeth together so hard they ached. I wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing my hands over my chilly, clammy skin in an attempt to warm it up.

I tried to keep my shaking to a minimum. Whenever my mouth began to open to let out a sob, I quickly snapped it shut. The tears continued to pour down my face no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

If I couldn't stop myself from having a breakdown, then I would have one as quietly as possible.

I blinked a few times to let my eyes get adjusted to the darkness. Though my vision was still blurry with tears, I looked around the room to make sure no one was disturbed by my episode.

Tsunade was lying on her blankets, face down with an ice pack on her head. It appeared like the blonde had been knocked unconscious instead of being asleep.

I turned my head to look at the room's other inhabitants.

Shizune was beside me on the blankets, sleeping a little closer to me than usual. The distance in our sleeping arrangements had gradually changed over the course of our time spent together. She scooted a little closer each night, or maybe I was the one that kept moving closer to her. Either way, I liked having her close by.

Tonton was upside down and beginning to stir. She was most likely flung off my body after I woke up from my dream. I would have apologized to the pig if I thought I could have spoken without my voice cracking.

While I was sitting there, I noticed something felt a little... off.

I shifted around, trying to pinpoint what exactly was causing me discomfort. I realized that my pants were sticking to my legs. My first thought was that I was just really sweaty. I tossed the blanket off my legs to solve the problem. Upon closer examination I found that that wasn't the case.

My pants were wet, but I don't think that was sweat on them.

_Did I...? You gotta be kidding me..._

I could feel my face heating up. I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from groaning in shame and disappointment. I tried to justify the reason for my accident in my head. I decided to blame it all on the nightmare I had. Water made people pee, right?

I was disgusted with myself.

I told myself that this had nothing to do with me. It was all that dream's fault. It was a terrifying nightmare. It would scare the piss out of anybody.

Tonton stirred beside me, slowly raising her head. She sleepily looked me and sniffed. Her nose twitched and she snuffled the blankets. The pig moved closer, following the scent, and practically shoved her face between my legs.

"Tonton!" I hissed quietly, pushing her head away from my legs.

"Buhi?" she looked at me in confusion.

"Shh!" I pressed my finger to my lips. I looked over at Shizune in alarm.

She was still sleeping. Good.

I didn't want Shizune to know about this. She had to deal with a lot on a daily basis between me and Tsunade. I didn't want to become a burden. That, and it was really frickin' embarrassing.

My plan was to get to the bathroom as quietly as possible, change my clothes, and ditch the sheets without anyone knowing. However, there was a huge flaw in my plan. I would have to rip the blanket out from under Shizune to be able to dispose of it. If by some miracle she didn't wake up, what would I replace it with? If she didn't know now, she'd wake up in the morning and know something had happened.

The bed wetting was awful, but sharing a bed with Shizune made it that much worse. How would you react if you woke up and your blankets were covered in piss? I would be pretty mad.

I was mentally beating myself up when I noticed Tonton scooting closer to Shizune. I watched in dismay as the pig nudged the woman's face with her nose.

"Tonton! Don't!" I begged desperately.

"Mmm... Tonton..." Shizune grumbled without opening her eyes. "Stop..." she brushed the pig away lazily with her hand.

I sighed in relief. That's right, go back to sleep.

Tonton didn't give up so easily. The pig slapped her tongue on the woman's face and coated her head in a thick layer of saliva. Shizune's eyes opened into slits, looking annoyed by Tonton's antics. She propped herself up with her arm and wiped the spit off her face with the blanket.

She squinted at me, her eyes not yet adjusted to the dark. "Roku?"

_Shit..._

I froze, my heart skipped a beat when she said my name. I was hoping that if I didn't move or say anything, she'd assume she was dreaming and lie back down. No such luck.

"What time is it?" she glanced at the window, deciding that it was still night time. "What're you doing up?"

"Um... I... uh..." I fumbled with my words, not sure what to say. I kept my eyes lowered and picked at a loose string on the blanket.

Her eyes traveled down, scanning over the blanket. Her gaze rested on the dark spot on the fabric. She continued to stare at it, her tired brain taking a while to register what had happened. When it finally sank in, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"I had a bad dream..." I mumbled when she continued to stare at me expectantly. "I'm sorry..." I quickly added.

My whole face was burning. New tears leaked out of my eyes as I looked up at her pitifully. I was so embarrassed by the situation. Hopefully I didn't piss on her too...

"It's alright," Shizune smiled though she still looked a little drowsy. "Everybody has nightmares." she gently stroked back my hair. "No big deal,"

Her words put me a little more at ease and it was comforting when she ran her fingers through my hair like that. The terror I felt from the dream slowly began to slip away. The embarrassment was still there but it lessened. Shizune always had a way to make me feel better.

"Let's get you cleaned up," she gave me another one of her reassuring smiles before standing up.

I slowly pushed myself up and followed after her. We stumbled in the dark towards the bathroom. She had to search for the light switch but flipped it on once she found it. The bright light hurt my eyes but I forced myself to step into the lit room.

I watched her grab a bar of soap and a washcloth. I turned my back to her, a little hesitant about removing my clothes in front of a woman. She was a medical ninja. She probably saw naked people all the time. Not to mention she probably saw me naked when she dressed my wounds on the day we met. This was nothing. I took a deep breath and began to undress.

I shuddered in disgust as the wet fabric peeled off my skin. The faucet creaked when she turned on the water.

_The lid of the coffin creaked as it slowly closed over me._

"Roku?" I snapped out of my daze and looked up. Shizune held the soapy rag out to me, giving me a puzzled look.

I tried to smile reassuringly but she wasn't fooled. I took the cloth and carefully cleaned away the urine. I winced at the water that dripped off the rag and rolled down my legs.

_Water began to drip from the lid, splattering on my body like rain._

I gasped and lurched back, almost losing my balance. Shizune caught me before I fell, keeping a hand on my shoulder to steady me.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern and her eyes flickered over my body, searching for a problem.

I nodded and went back to cleaning myself. I made sure that I got off every trace of urine before trading the rag for a towel. I dried myself off while Shizune went to grab me something to wear. When she returned, I gladly accepted the pants and slipped them on.

I followed her out of the bathroom, feeling a little light headed. I suddenly felt really dizzy. Was it because of the dream? My vision blurred and I rubbed my eyes with my fists.

"We'll just steal one of Tsunade's blankets," Shizune grinned playfully.

"How 'bout you don't steal Tsunade's blankets," the blonde grumbled, still lying face down with her face buried in the pillow. She slowly raised herself up on her arms, "What's wrong with him?"

Shizune looked back at me when the blonde said that. They must have assumed I was crying since I was rubbing my eyes. "Roku, I told you it was fine, baby."

I inhaled sharply, my chest tightening.

_"My baby," she sobbed, new tears rolling down her cheeks. "My baby," she repeated, choking on each syllable._

"Mom..." I breathed, my eyes starting to water again.

"Huh?" Tsunade frowned. "What did he say?" she looked at Shizune.

_She stared at me for a little longer, unable to tear her puffy eyes away. Still sobbing, she turned away from me._

"Don't go..." I whispered, unable to stop the hot tears from escaping.

The two woman exchanged confused looks. Shizune took hesitant steps in my direction. She moved slowly and held her arms out in front of her like she was approaching a frightened animal.

_She slowly faded away. The lid of the coffin creaked as it slowly closed over me._

"Mom!" I suddenly screeched.

I startled both women. Shizune jumped back in surprise and Tsunade scrambled to her feet in a panic.

"I'm not dead!" I screamed. My knees buckled and I was unable to remain standing. "Don't let them bury me!" I collapsed to the floor, shaking violently, eyes wide in terror.

Shizune rushed forward, dropping to her knees on the floor beside me. "Roku! Hey! Roku!" she grabbed me by my shoulders but when she looked in my eyes, it was like I wasn't even there. "Can you hear me?!"

_The coffin was starting to fill up with water._

I thrashed wildly, fighting against the grip she had on me. "Help me!" I wailed, managing to break away from her.

I scrambled backwards, dragging my nails against the wooden floor. I flipped over, banging my arms against the floor frantically. I scratched, clawed, and even banged my knees against the ground. The more a struggled the more tender my flesh became. I could feel the bruises already beginning to form.

I pressed my forehead against the cold floor. "Somebody help me!" I shrieked, pulling my head back and slamming it against the floor.

I scraped my nails against the ground, feeling sharp pain shoot up my fingers. I felt blood trickle out and roll down my hand. My head began to throb as I repeatedly beat it against the floor. I thrashed around with my arms and legs some more but it had become less violent. I weakly beat my limbs against the floor, trying to ignore the painful ache in my bones.

When I was too tired to fight, and I was barely able to lift my head up before smacking it back down, Shizune grabbed me again. I struggled weakly against her restraint. My vision was still bleary with tears and my breathing was quick and uneven. My heart thudded against my chest, causing intense pain to my upper body.

Despite my struggling, Shizune managed to hold on. "Roku, you're okay," she repeated, holding me against her and lacing her fingers in my hair.

I gripped her shirt tightly, burying my face in her stomach and screaming at the top of my lungs. "Shh," she didn't stop me. She just let me shriek while she made soft shushing noises and rubbed my back.

My wailing soon turned to sobs. She still held me close to her. She let me stain her shirt with my tears and blood. My chest heaved and my whole body trembled. Choking sobs escaped my mouth but they were muffled by Shizune's stomach.

I heard footsteps followed by the sound of a light clicking on. A new pair of hands was on me in addition to Shizune's. Tsunade crouched next to us and gently massaged the ache out of my limbs.

"Help me..." I pleaded, clutching her shirt tighter. "Please, help me..."

We stayed in that position for the rest of the night. I had cried myself to the point where I was gagging and heaving. Shizune and Tsunade never moved or took their hands off me. They continuously stroked and massaged my shivering my body.

Morning light was beginning to peek through the windows when my heavy eyelids finally started to close. A soft, clear voice whispered to me.

_"My baby..."_

"Mom..." I mumbled, unable to keep my eyes open any longer. I heaved a tired sigh and let the darkness take over.

* * *

**That's the end of Chapter 5! I hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**I don't think I can go a single chapter without causing Roku some kind of distress. I mean seriously, this poor kid is gonna have a heart attack. He'll also probably have some mental issues before I'm finished with him. I'm sure things will get better for him in future chapters... maybe. I'm the author and I don't even know. **

**I want to thank you guys for all the support! You guys are what motivate and inspire me to write and put out chapters. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. As usual, let me guys know what you think and any suggestions you may have. **

**Until next time! **


	7. Daddy Issues

**Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 6 of WtH! I'm sorry I've kept you guys waiting so long. I've been lacking inspiration recently. I also had the flu last week so that sucked. I had this chapter started so I decided to sit down and finish it tonight. I didn't intend for it to turn out this way but it did. **

**Also, if you guys haven't noticed yet, we have a cover image! Yes, Roku and Tonton are the cover image! Just thought I'd point it out. Enjoy the chapter!**

**I don't own Naruto~**

* * *

I yawned and scratched the back of my head. I stumbled down the hallway, bumping against the walls as I went. My legs were still numb from being asleep moments ago. The house was dark and silent. I moved as quietly as possible so not to wake anyone.

I traveled by memory instead of sight. When I finally reached the bathroom, I patted the walls in search of the light switch. I flipped it on, squinting at the pale light that filled the tiny room. I quickly did my business and began the trek back to my room.

At least I started to when I heard a noise coming from deeper in the house. I paused, stopping to listen for the noise again. I heard what sounded like footsteps on our wooden floors. Nerves bubbled up in my stomach and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

What if it's a robber?

The thought of someone breaking in the house frightened me. I was tempted to sprint to my parents room and wake them up to warn them, but I stopped myself. If I was wrong, and it wasn't a robber, then I'd have woken them up for nothing. I had to make sure it wasn't just the wind or a branch hitting the window again.

I took a deep breath and slowly ascended the stairs. The steps creaked underneath my weight and I flinched. I waited motionless for a few moments to make sure I hadn't alerted the robber of my presence. I took a few more cautious steps before stopping and waiting again.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I peered out into the dark living room. There didn't seem to be anyone there. Upon closer inspection, I could see a light on in the kitchen. I was about to go investigate when a figure stepped into the room.

I sighed in relief when I saw the familiar face. My father walked across the living room, pulling his jacket on. He held his key ring in his mouth while he zipped up his jacket. I watched him go to the front door.

What was he doing?

It was like three in the morning. Perhaps he was checking that the door was locked? No, he always did that before going to bed. Why was he wearing his jacket? Was he really that cold? Curiosity got the best of me.

"Dad?" I stepped further in the room and moved towards him.

My father spun around, clutching his keys tightly in one hand. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open slightly in surprise. "Hey, buddy," he chuckled nervously, the corner of his mouth twitching into an awkward smile. "What're you doing up?"

I frowned in confusion. "I had to go to the bathroom," I shrugged, motioning in the direction I had come from. "What're you doing?" I asked.

"Um..." I saw panic flash in his eyes. "I uh... I got called into work." he told me after a moment of fumbling with his words. He smiled at me and his hands twitched restlessly at his sides.

Why was he so jittery? Something didn't seem right, but this was my dad, he had no reason to lie to me. "Okay," I smiled back at him, satisfied with that answer. "Will you be gone long?"

My father let out a sigh of relief. "I'll be back soon," he tousled my bedhead around before opening the door.

Moonlight poured in the open doorway and a chilly breeze blew in. I shivered and rubbed my bare arms. My father turned back towards me, one leg already out the door. His gaze traced over me, going down my body then coming back to rest on my face.

When our eyes locked, I smiled at him. He didn't smile back. "I'll see you around, buddy." he clapped me on the shoulder before stepping outside.

His choice of words seemed strange but I shrugged them off. I walked out on the porch, my toes curling when they made contact with the freezing concrete. I watched him get into his car and start backing out of the driveway. I waved to him. I know he saw me, but he didn't wave back.

When his car was out of sight, I walked back inside and shut the door.

* * *

I stretched my arms above my head, blinking at the beams of sunlight shining through the window. I rolled out of my bed and headed out of my room. I trotted cheerfully down the stairs, feeling as amazing as any kid did on a day they didn't have school.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I paused. There was a strange noise coming from the kitchen. It sounded like someone was crying. A little uneasy, I continued to press on. I paused at the doorway and peered into the kitchen.

My mother was sitting at the kitchen table. Her body was slumped over and her head was buried in her arms. Her body trembled from her sobbing. She was still in her pajama's and her golden hair was matted.

I frowned in confusion. My mother was usually dressed and bouncing around the house by the time I got up. She was usually so happy on the days we got to spend together as a family.

My eyes flickered to the piece paper she clutched in her shaking hand. I cautiously stepped in the room, taking small steps towards her. If she heard me enter, she didn't respond. My mother cried into her arms, her grip on the paper tightening with each sob.

"Mom?" I finally spoke when I stood only a few inches away.

Her body jolted and she raised her head. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She quickly wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks with the back of her hand. She forced herself to smile, "Hey, baby," she gently stroked back my hair.

There was so much pain behind that smile. It made my chest hurt just looking at it. "Why are you crying?" I furrowed my eyebrows together. "What's that?" I pointed to the paper in her hand.

She bit her lip and the paper crinkled as her grip tightened. She looked like she was debating whether or not to tell me the truth. After a few moments of debate, she sighed heavily. My mother turned her body towards me and set the paper aside. She took my hands in hers and we locked eyes.

"Honey," she began, her voice shaky. "Daddy left last night."

That was it? She was crying because he got called into work?

"I know," I replied, squeezing her hands. "I saw him leave. He got called into work but he'll be back soon." I grinned reassuringly at her.

"You saw him leave?" she repeated and I nodded in affirmation. "Baby, he didn't get called into work, he left us." her voice cracked.

I didn't fully understand what she was saying. "He said he'll be back." I told her, my stomach churned anxiously.

She smiled at me and shook her head, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "He's not coming back," her voice wavered and the tears slipped out.

After staring at her face for a few moments, realization finally sank in. My heart raced and my eyes widened in shock. "Why did he leave us?!" I demanded, a shudder coursing through my body. Hot tears burned my eyes but I blinked them back before they could spill over. "Is it something I did?!"

"No, no, honey, it wasn't you," she reached out and cupped my face in her hands. "Your father just wasn't... happy." she chose that word after mulling over it for a moment.

I didn't hear her words over the ringing in my ears. I raked my brain for anything I could have done to make him leave. What had brought this on? Just last night we had eaten dinner together like usual and he seemed happy.

"I can be better!" I declared, unable to hold my tears back any longer. I grabbed the collar of her shirt and balled my hands into fists. "Tell him I'll be better if he comes back!" I spoke frantically, "I'll join the football team like he wanted! I'll bring my grade up in math! I'll-"

"Ryan!" my mother cut off my babbling. She lowered her face to make it level with mine. Her intense yet sad eyes stared right at me. "He's not coming back..."

"But..." my lips quivered and my vision was blurry with tears. "I-I just saw him last night... He p-promised he'd be back..."

She pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms around her in response. I clutched the back of her shirt tightly and buried my face into her shoulder. I choked on the sob that escaped my open mouth and my body shuddered. My chest was hurting but it was a different kind of pain. It felt like there was a huge gaping hole where my heart should be.

_My heart..._

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I cried. I could tell that my mother was crying again too. We didn't move. We just stayed trembling in one another's embrace. We soaked one another's shirts with our tears and clawed at the fabric so we could hold each other tighter.

Why did he leave?

Why did he leave us?

_Why did he leave me?_

My heart lurched and I clenched my teeth together to keep from crying out. Was I really that awful that I made my own father unhappy? My throat felt so tight and it was hard to swallow my sticky saliva. My nose was running but I didn't bother to wipe the snot away. My brain was too busy wrapping around the fact that my father left me.

_He left me..._

It was suddenly hard to breathe.

_What if mom left me too?_

"You're not gonna leave me too, are you?" I asked, trembling uncontrollably.

"What?" my mother asked and I felt her body shift.

"Please don't leave me!" I begged, holding on to her tighter. "I'll do anything you want! Please, just don't leave me like dad!" More tears poured out and my body continued to tremble. I inhaled shaky breaths through my nose, my heart pounding in my chest from the panic of having difficulty breathing.

My mother grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me back to look at her. "I'm never going to leave you." she told me, a stray tear dripping off her chin.

"Promise?" I sniffed, a little disbelieving.

"I promise," she replied truthfully.

I whimpered and threw my arms around her neck. She held me and rubbed soothing circles on my back. I wasn't put at ease by her reassurance. It would be up to me to make sure she never left. I would have to stay by her side to make sure she never slipped away from me. I didn't want her to ever leave me. She_ can't_ leave me.

I could feel her fingers stroking my hair. I could feel her warm breath tickling the back of my neck. I could feel her heart beating steadily against mine.

_She can't leave me... _

* * *

I could feel fingers running through my hair, pushing it back away from my forehead. It felt so good. The soothing motion was lulling me back to sleep when it suddenly stopped. I whimpered at the loss, shifting around restlessly. The hand returned, but sleep had already left me.

I opened my eyes into slits, I could feel a headache already coming on. I opened my eyes the rest of the way. My vision cleared and I was able to see my surroundings.

I was lying on the floor with a blanket over me. The lights were off and the curtain had been pulled over the window. Though the window was blocked, light still faintly shone through the fabric. Shizune was lying beside me, the blanket wasn't covering her and she had her head propped up with her arm.

She smiled warmly when I looked at her. "Hey," she greeted, stroking back my hair. "How are you feeling?"

I felt like I got hit by a truck.

My whole body was aching. When I pulled my hands out from under the blanket, I noticed that they were wrapped in bandages. A sharp pain coursed through my skull and I instantly went to grab it with my hand.

"I gotta headache..." I mumbled, wincing from the pain.

My memory was fuzzy. I couldn't remember the reason why I was hurting. My head throbbed more when I tried to recall the details.

"I'll get you something for it," Shizune stopped petting my head and sat up.

I watched her reach over and grab her bag. While she was rummaging around, I turned my head to get a better look at the room. I was lying on Tsunade's bed instead of the one I normally shared with Shizune. The blonde was no where in sight.

"Do you remember what happened earlier?" she asked, shaking a few pills out of a bottle and into her hand.

"It's kinda fuzzy..." I admitted, pushing myself into a sitting position and rubbing the back of my aching head.

"You suddenly started screaming," Shizune handed me the pills. "You scared Tsunade and I to death."

I tried to remember but the immense pain in my skull prevented it. "Sorry," I gave her an apologetic look. She passed me a water bottle to take the pills with.

"You were calling out for your mother," she said, watching my face for a reaction. "Do you remember that?"

I nearly choked on the water. I did remember that.

Memories from before came rushing back. The nightmare, the accident, everything. I coughed and sputtered on the water, waving my hand dismissively when Shizune looked concerned.

"Where's Tsunade?" I asked, clearing my throat. I wanted to change the subject and avoid any questions.

I didn't want to take any chances of her finding out I was from a whole different universe. Honestly, those chances were slim. The chances of her thinking I'm unstable and needed to be taken to mental hospital were much higher.

"She left,"

"What?" my eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean she left? She left for good?" I scrambled to my feet but I was too wobbly and fell down on to my knees as a result. Panic started to take over. "I didn't mean to scare you guys! I swear!"

Shizune didn't respond. She just continued to watch me with an expression that looked like she was piecing things together. I was too distressed to notice her knowing look.

"I can be better!" I told her frantically. "I'll do whatever she wants from now on! I'll-I'll play on the slot machines with her as long as she wants!" my body was beginning to tremble.

"Roku, honey, she's coming back."

"What?" I blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

"Tsunade just went out to get some lunch," Shizune explained. "She's going to bring it back so we can we eat together."

I sighed in relief and my shoulders slumped. I was glad that Tsunade hadn't left. Despite all the bad things the blonde had done to me, I don't know what I'd do if she left me. If she left, then Shizune would leave with her. That thought made me uneasy.

"Please don't leave me..." my voice was barely above a whisper. I stared up at her, a few stray tears managing to escape.

"I'm never going to leave you," Shizune gently wiped away the tears with her thumb.

I sniffed, "Promise?"

"I promise," she replied, flashing a warm, reassuring smile.

A whimper slipped out and I shuffled closer to her. I wrapped my arms around her and she hugged me back. She rubbed my back soothingly and I held on to her tighter, burying my face in her shirt. She ran her fingers through my unruly hair and I slowly began to relax.

Her warmth was welcome against my own chilled body. Her breathing was even and tickled my skin. I sighed in content as her hand continued to stroke my hair. Her presence was comforting. I wanted to stay in her embrace forever, but I'd settle for when Tsunade came back with lunch.

* * *

**That's the end of Chapter 6! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Now you know where Roku's separation anxiety comes from. After his father left, he'd always been super anxious about his mother leaving or if he had to go anywhere without her. He initially grew out of it, but now that he's a kid again his old issues have been resurfacing. **

**I want to thank you guys for all the patience and support! You guys really motivate me to keep writing. If you have any ideas, please let me know because I could really use them. **

**Until next time!**


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